Circles
by SirJoshizzle
Summary: Zelda and I were far from close. But she was my client, and I owed her my best in court. And about this Marin girl... Whoever she is, I know she's somehow related to Zelda. And I'm going to find out. AU.
1. A Familiar Face

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**FINALLY! _Circles_, _Zelda_ fanfiction's first courtroom thriller, has finally come to a computer screen in front of you!** Isn't this exciting?

At the risk of sounding redundant (but for the convenience of those who don't know, such as a first-time SirJoshizzle reader), this story is an _amalgamation_ of many elements from the _Phoenix Wright_/_Apollo Justice_/_Ace Attorney_/_Gyakuten Saiban_/whatever you want to call it series. It is _not_ however, a direct retelling of any of the cases from any of the four games, with _Zelda_ characters simply plugged into where the PW/AJ/AA/GS characters were. If you've played any of the games like I have, you should feel right at home with _Circles_. And if you haven't, by the time this story is completed, you will be itching to play them, if you have not yet done so through the middle of the story. I guarantee it.

I do not own _The Legend of Zelda_.

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Circles  
SirJoshizzle

"_Here's our lunch!"_

_He looked up from his iced coffee he was drinking and smiled as she took a seat at the table, sitting right across from him. She set the tray holding two bowls of rice and chicken on the table, putting his bowl and a pair of chopsticks in front of him._

"_Thanks," he nodded, breaking apart the wooden chopsticks and testing them out a few times before reaching into the mound of steamed rice._

"_I got a few packets of sugar for your coffee," she said, taking one of her three sugar packs and tearing the top off. She motioned for his cup._

"…_Thank you," he said, smiling kindly and taking a few sips of his drink. He picked up a strip of chicken breast with his chopsticks and tore it in half with his teeth._

"…_U-ugh!"_

_She looked up from her food, chopsticks in her mouth, to him with a raised eyebrow. "Hm?"_

_He suddenly started coughing, bits of the food sputtering out of his mouth as he did so. Small, little coughs at first, but they quickly intensified to the point of desperate, hacking gasps for air. His breath hitched in his throat, and his hand clamped around his neck as purple spots blotched in his vision._

_She slammed down her chopsticks and her bowl. She was panicking._

W-what's going on!?_, she wondered, fear filling her eyes as she watched her boyfriend quickly suffocate as his skin started turning blue. "What's wrong!?"_

_But he didn't respond. His eyes slowly rolled into the back of his head. He faced the glass ceiling of the cafeteria, before his head fell forward. His face slammed and buried into his rice bowl with a clank._

_She just stared at him in shock, unable to register what just happened. But then it clicked: he was dead. But from what? She couldn't think straight. She just let out a blood-curdling scream._

"_AHHHHH!!"_

**- - - - - - - - - -**

September 2, 2008; 9:50 AM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Hyrule University, Light Campus—Faculty Lounge

Link Avalon yawned softly as he took the pot of freshly brewed coffee from the machine and poured it into his empty mug.

"Hey Link!" He heard a voice call out from behind him. He looked over his shoulder, to see his best friend and colleague Sheik Adlez come through the automatic sliding doors of the faculty lounge, headed straight for him.

Sheik was Link's fellow professor at Hyrule University. While Link taught Hylian history, Sheik was in the archeology department. The two fields went hand in hand, so the two often worked together, helping each other out if one had a question on the other's area of expertise.

At twenty-eight, Sheik was five years younger than Link. His hair was a platinum gold, brilliantly brighter than Link's own hair. It was short, but in the back was a small ponytail tied by a few simple pieces of string. His eyes were a stunning, yet kind ruby red—trademarks of the Sheikah tribe, which he was a part of. While the two could generally be considered easy-going, it was a general agreement between both the faculty and the students that Sheik was the more laid-back one. But all the same, the Sheikah was quite the intellectual, which often betrayed his childlike antics.

"Oh, hey Sheik," Link smiled lopsidedly as his friend approached him. He placed the coffee pot back into its spot and pressed a few buttons, letting it brew for a little bit longer.

"So, it's the start of a new school year," Sheik smirked. He turned around and leaned against the counter with his elbows supporting his weight behind him.

"Yeah," Link nodded as he yawned again. He took a bottle of vanilla creamer from a tray next to the coffee maker and poured a generous amount into his cup.

"…Huh…" Sheik raised an eyebrow at the plastic container of coffee beans next to the machine that read "Special Terminian Brew—Extra Caffeine!". "That's strange."

"What's strange?" Link glanced at him from the corner of his eye as he closed the lid on the bottle and set it back on the tray.

"You normally don't drink coffee," Sheik shrugged. "…At least regular coffee, anyway—extra caffeine, no less… You're more of a decaf man." He heard Link yawn again, and chuckled slightly in response. "And you sound pretty tired too."

"That's exactly why I'm not drinking decaf this time around," Link said in a matter-of-fact voice with a slight smirk, raising his cup and taking a drink out of it. "I didn't really get a lot of sleep last night."

"Ahh," the Sheikah nodded. "Prepping for the new school year?"

"Yeah," Link nodded. "…And because today… is a very special date."

The Sheikah knit his brow and looked at him for a second, but it clicked in his mind. _Ah_, he nodded inwardly. _Because of _her_, that's why._ "That's right… Today's the sixth anniversary of…"

Link took a deep gulp of his coffee and gave Sheik a hard look. He shook his head slightly, as if to say, "Please don't say it."

"…Oh…" Sheik looked down to the linoleum floor with a small frown, and then back to his friend. "I gotcha… So, did you hear about what happened in the cafeteria last week?" Sheik quickly changed the subject before the tension between them could mount.

"Ah," Link nodded as he downed another gulp. "The, uh… the murder?"

"Pretty scary when you put it like that," Sheik smiled slightly as he shrugged an eyebrow, shaking his head slightly. Link raised his shoulders at that. "Well that's what it was, right?"

"…I suppose," the Sheikah replied.

"Do you know who it was?" Link asked him. "Or at least who everyone thinks it was?"

"No idea," he shook his head. "They're not revealing the details to the public… But there's a rumor that it was a university student… One of our students, no less."

"Yeah?" Link turned to him, still drinking his coffee. Sheik nodded. The Hylian looked back forward and raised his brow a few centimeters. "…Huh… No kidding…"

Another short silence fell between them, then Sheik looked to his silver wrist watch. It was 9:54 AM.

"Oh, I gotta run," Sheik patted Link of his back softly, and adjusted his tie and the jacket of his deep red suit. He stuffed his right hand into the pocket of his slacks. "My class starts soon."

"Alright," Link nodded, gesturing his mug to him. "I'll talk to you later then."

"Sure," Sheik gave a thumbs up and grinned over his right shoulder with his left hand. "Take it easy today, yeah?"

"I will," Link laughed softly as he watched his friend exit out of the sliding doors.

"Hey, Link," Ilia Fado, a new professor in the political sciences department walked up next to him to the coffee machine.

"Mornin', Ilia," Link smiled over to her, finishing the rest of his coffee. "First day on the job, huh?"

"Yes," she blushed slightly. "I'm a little nervous…"

"You'll do fine," he put his hand on her shoulder gently.

"Thank you," she nodded with a smile, gaining a small boost of confidence. She grabbed a bottle of hazelnut creamer and poured a slight amount into her mug. "But then I'll have my mentor helping me out, so it shouldn't be all bad."

"That's good," Link nodded to the blonde. "Mr. Rusl?"

"Yes," she nodded. Link grabbed a napkin and wiped his lips and the rim of his mug free of coffee. "Then you're definitely in good hands."

She laughed softly and took a drink out of her cup. "Alright. Well, I have to go. But I'll see you later!"

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Wanna have lunch later?" She stopped to turn back to him. "Sheik's coming too."

"Sure," he nodded. "I'll be there. How's that restaurant a block off campus? Maybe at… How's 11:00? My class starts at noon."

"Sounds good," she nodded. "Just… bring your own drink. Wouldn't want anything bad to happen."

Link smiled at that, but shot her a scolding but playful look; he knew she was referring to the poisoning that happened the week before.

"I'm kidding!" She shook her head. "Bye, Link!"

"Later, Ilia," he called after her as she exited the doors. Outside the glass doors, the students crowded the halls, mostly new students, searching for their classes. He spotted a group of freshmen girls, crowding around each other, talking and text messaging on their cell phones. A few of them glanced over to him and immediately broke into girlish grins and fits of blushing giggles. He couldn't help but smirk lopsidedly and shake his head, turning his head to the side away from them.

Many of the younger female members of the university's staff—as well as thousands of the female students and even a few males—considered thirty-three year old Link Avalon to be, simply put, devastatingly handsome. His unruly hair was a mix of a very light brown and a dark, dirty blonde, his light blue eyes probed and comforted, his tenor voice was arresting and smooth, and his smile was charming yet youthful. He stood at five feet and eleven inches, and his body was muscled to be sure, but healthy and lean—broad shoulders and a proportionately broad chest to match, his stomach was taut, and his arms and legs were nicely toned, a result of spending his high school and college days on the tennis courts and in the swimming pool.

Link was a fine professor, revered by his superiors and even considered one of the history department's finest. He was a tough teacher and refused to let his students fail at all costs. He made sure his pupils were on top of their school work at all times, and were always caught up on current events. He was strict at times, but he was also respected by the undergraduates because of it—it got business done concisely and efficiently.

In addition to his expertise in Hylian History, he was also skilled in law—he originally attended Hyrule University with the hopes of becoming a defense attorney, and even majored in the field. When he was twenty-seven, he earned his attorney's badge, and for the first time as a defense attorney, stepped into the court room. But that first trial… It scarred him deeply, emotionally traumatizing him enough to drive him to retire his attorney's badge and drop out of the profession, ending his career just as soon as it began. Shortly after that, he pursued his second-greatest passion: to become a teacher.

_I can't believe it's been six years_, he thought to himself. _Six years it's been, since I decided… that I'd never become a lawyer… ever again._

He sighed solemnly and looked at the digital wall clock. It was 9:57 AM. He stood up straight, pushing himself off the counter. He had time; his first class didn't start until noon.

_It's time to pay _her_ a visit_.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

September 2, 2008; 10:29 AM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Market District Cemetery

Link rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt as he held a bouquet of flowers in his left hand. He walked past a few plaques embedded into the grass, before finally reaching the one he was looking for.

"Hey," Link smiled sadly. "Long time, no see..."

He looked down at the plaque. On the right was a hole filled with water for flowers, and on the left was a color-picture of her.

But there were flowers already in the hole, recently watered and freshly cut.

_That's odd_, Link raised an eyebrow, staring at the bouquet of domesticated bomb flowers. _Who brought these?_

He knelt down and placed the flowers into the hole with the bomb flowers, arranging them after they floated in the water for a second. He stared at her name in bold letters, then to her picture to the left. She was smiling brightly, her head slightly tilted to the left. He closed his eyes softly, furrowing his brow as he did so.

"_Please, Mr. Avalon! My sister has no one else to turn to! I'm begging you, save my sister and prove her innocence!"_

His eyebrows trembled as the voice echoed in his head.

"_You believe me… don't you, Mr. Avalon?"__ Her_ voice rung through his head, buzzing like an angry bee.

"_Of course I believe you,_" his voice replied back.

"_Will you take my case then? …Or will you refuse, like all the other lawyers I talked to?"__ She_ asked again.

"…_It's up to you."_

Link opened his eyes slightly, but instead of seeing the plaque and the flowers, he saw _that_ scene from six years ago, just has disturbingly vivid as ever.

"…_NOOOOO!!"_ His voice cried out in horror. In his mind, the voices were deafening. The flashbacks played back like they just happened the other day. He shook his head free of the painful memories until he snapped back to reality.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, reaching out to trail his fingers against the cold stone. "I'm sorry… that I wasn't able to save you."

He closed his eyes again, then got up to his feet. He dusted himself off, took one last look at _her_ plaque, then turned away to walk back to his car.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

September 2, 2008; 12:00 PM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Hyrule University, Light Campus—Kokiri Hall, Room 213

The bell rung as Link walked into his class to see his forty-some students all taking their seats. He glanced at all of them from the corner of his eye and chuckled to himself.

"Good afternoon, everyone!" Link's voice boomed loudly through the large classroom with a welcoming smile on his face.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Avalon!" They all replied in unison.

"I hope you all had a very good summer, and a nice lunch as well," he grinned as he picked up a black dry erase marker and popped the cap off with one hand. He turned around to the white board and wrote his name in both English and Hylian.

"Some of you may be familiar with me, some aren't… For the latter half, my name is… Link… Avalon," he said as he wrote. He turned back to the class and capped his marker. He took a step towards them and leaned forward on his desk, his hands propping him up. "You can call me Professor Avalon, Mr. Avalon, Mr. A., or even just Link—doesn't really matter."

He bent over to his computer screen, moved the mouse around the pad and clicked a few times to open up his class roster to take a quick attendance. "Alright, I'll just go through a quick attendance. There's a lot of you, so bare with me for a minute or two, okay? I'll call out your last name, and let me know you're alive with a good "Here!", got it? …Lets see…"

"Excuse me!"

Link paused and looked up to the class with raised eyebrows. "Yeah?" His eyes scanned the room and saw a few students in the first row point to the door. He followed their fingers to the left of him, and who he saw immediately drained all the blood from his face.

"Y-you!" His heart skipped a beat and his mind raced in double-time.

It was a woman. She looked in her mid-twenties, and she was carrying a few textbooks against her chest. She was slightly tanned a neutral peach color. Her long, mid-back length hair was a mix of a dark brown and a light blonde, the opposite of Link's. Her eyes were a mix of dark blue and light purple… And she looked _exactly_ like _her_.

_I… It c-can't be...!!_ His heart raced and his chest heaved rapidly.

"I-I'm sorry I'm late," she smiled sheepishly. She even _sounded_ like _her_! She stepped forward and gave him a slip of paper.

"Y… Y-you're—" Link stammered.

"Marin Tarin," she interrupted him.

He stared at her long and hard, examining her closely. "…M-Marin…?"

"That's right," she nodded, still smiling. He slowly took the paper and unfolded it. It was her class schedule. Sure enough, there was her name in black and white at the top of the paper, "Tarin, Marin".

Link looked up from the schedule back to Marin with wide and confused eyes, his brow knit tightly.

_M-my Goddesses, the resemblance…_

"…Is something the matter, Mr. Avalon?" She gave him a concerned look, tilting her head to the side.

_T-that's what _she_ always used to do!_ Link screamed in his mind as everything from _that_ day came rushing back to him. The picture of _her_ on her plaque back at the cemetery came to mind. He heard the rest of the class whispering amongst themselves and eying him and Marin oddly.

"W-what's up with Professor A.?" He heard a male in the front whisper to his friend.

"I don't know," the girl whispered back. "…He's starting to sweat…"

"…You're staring," Marin blushed slightly. Link quickly snapped out of his daze and shook his head. He grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "O-oh! No, no, I'm fine! I'm sorry… I just thought you were… someone else, is all."

"…Oh," she giggled slightly. "I apologize for my tardiness… I had a… previous obligation."

Link nodded slowly, folding the paper and creasing it before handing it back. "…I-it's alright. P-please, take a seat."

"Thank you." She accepted the paper and bowed slightly. "And it's a pleasure to meet you… Mr. Link Avalon." She turned around and headed for an empty seat in the middle of the class.

"W-wait!" Link stopped her. She froze for a second and turned back to him. "Yes?"

"…How did you know my first name?" Link eyed her suspiciously. "I never even told you it, and it wasn't on your schedule either…"

She gasped sharply at that, and her eyes wandered around the room. She was trembling slightly, but visibly.

…_Is she hiding something?_

"I-I saw it on the board," she finally said in a rushed voice, pointing past him. He looked over his shoulder and saw where he wrote his first and last name just minutes ago. "I-I just assumed that 'Link' was your first name is all."

"…Oh," Link nodded with uncertainty. "…O-of course."

She smiled again and continued to make way for the empty chair. But Link just couldn't shake her off, that Marin Tarin. He watched her intently as she kindly introduced herself to the girl sitting next to her.

He knew that somehow, he and she have met before…

**- - - - - - - - - -**

September 2, 2008; 12:59 PM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Hyrule University, Light Campus—Kokiri Hall, Room 213

"I'll see you all tomorrow!" Link called out as the bell rang, closing his SuperPoint presentation on the projector and the computer.

The entire class broke out into chatter, calling out their goodbyes to Link as they flooded out the door.

"Bye, Mr. A!"

"Later, Mr. Link!"

"Have a nice day, Professor Avalon!"

"You too," he replied loudly so that they could hear him, not looking away from his computer screen. "Oh!" Link's face shot up. "Ms. Tarin, may I have a minute of your time, please?"

Marin looked at him from from the corner of her eye just as she was about to exit, and walked over to the side of his desk. "Yes?" She asked.

Link logged off his teacher's account on his computer and turned to Marin. "Ms. Tarin… Have we… Have we met before?"

She raised an eyebrow and looked around in thought, like she was trying to remember something. "…No, I don't think so. I recently moved here from Koholint Island… I've never been here in Hyrule up until now… Unless, have you been to Koholint, Mr. Avalon?"

"…No, I haven't," he shook his head, slightly disappointed. _B-but she looks so familiar… She looks just like…_

"Then no, I don't think we could have met in the past," she shook her head with a small frown. "…Are you sure there isn't anything wrong? Throughout your entire lecture, you sounded… preoccupied."

"Huh?" He blurted out. "Y-yeah! …Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me, thank you."

"Alright." She smiled warmly and began to walk away.

"O-one more thing, Ms. Tarin?"

She turned around and faced him again. "Yes?"

"I know it's not any of my business," he started slowly. "…But why exactly were you late? I mean, just so I can excuse you properly."

She frowned slightly, hugging her books to her chest closer. "…O-Oh. I was… I was looking for a lawyer."

He raised an eyebrow. _A lawyer?_

"...My boyfriend… He died… Poisoning… In the cafeteria," she explained with a smile, attempting to lighten the mood. But it was evident that talking about it was hard. "…It was after my registration process. People saw it happen… and they're saying I did it."

…_So she's the suspect_, Link said to himself. _She's who Sheik was talking about earlier today_. But something clicked in his mind. He repeated what she just said in his head, the outline of the murder case and the circumstances she said she was under. His eyes widened. _…J-just like…!_

"The trial's in two days," she looked down at the floor, tracing circles with her foot. "And no one will represent me… I'll get an attorney assigned by the court of course," she smiled weakly. "…But I'm afraid he or she might not trust me, especially since no one else did."

_Is… Is this for real!?_ He stared at her is disbelief. Every word she spoke brought up those painful memories from six years prior. _T-t-this can't be…_

"…I…" Link murmured after a silence. "…I-I'll represent you."

Her eyes widened and she gasped sharply. "Wh-what?"

Even Link was surprised by what he just said. He didn't think before he opened his mouth; the words just came out on their own.

"Ms. Tarin," Link shook his head, then smiled warmly. "…I… I used to be a lawyer… I've devoted eight years of my life to studying law… For a student, I'd be more than happy to defend you."

"…Mr. Avalon," Marin whispered, looking at the floor. "Do you really believe me? …I didn't kill him… You believe me… Don't you, Mr. Avalon?"

She sent chills racing up and down his spine. His knees locked. _Her_ voice rung bells in his head.

"…_You believe me… Don't you, Mr. Avalon?"_

His lips trembled before answering. "…Of course I do."

"So…" She paused. "…Will you take my case then? …Or will you refuse, like all the other lawyers I talked to?"

His head pounded. He felt dizzy. It was like déjà vu, like he was reliving every single moment from that day all over again.

"I-it's…" He choked, his skin clamming. "…It's up to you."

Marin raised her head and looked him in the eye before smiling gratefully. "…Thank you."

And with that, she left. But he couldn't tear his eyes away from her as she exited the door. Her light red skirt ruffled as she walked, and her long brown-blonde hair—the very same length and color _she_ wore her hair—bounced with every step.

_It can't be you_, Link shook his head, backing away before slumping into his swivel chair. He held his forehead in his hand and ran his fingers through his hair, combing them backwards towards his neck.

…_I-it can't…_

**- - - - - - - - - -**

September 2, 2008; 5:32 PM  
East Village Ward, Light Prefecture  
Shad Ashei Law Offices—Lobby

"Good afta' noon, there." The stout female receptionist pushed her swivel chair away from her computer to the desk where Link was waiting.

"Yes," Link nodded. "Ah, I was wondering if Mr. Shad Ashei was in?"

"D'ya have an appointment, son?" She asked as she raised an eyebrow, casually chewing her gum as she spoke.

"Well, no…" Link shook his head. "B-but this is rather important. Mr. Ashei and I are old acquaintances… Can you tell him _Link Avalon_ is here?"

She looked at him for a second, but blinked and nodded. "You got it." She turned to an intercom microphone and pressed down on a red button. "Mr. Ashei, you got a guest waitin' for ya. He says ya know him."

"Who is it, Telma?" A male voice replied.

_I never thought I'd hear ol' Shad's voice again_, Link smiled inwardly.

"A Mr. _Link Avalon_," the woman named Telma replied, stressing his name in the same manner he did. There was no reply for a moment, but Link could hear Shad breathe, "Avalon" quietly.

The door to the right of Telma's desk clicked a few times, and the door opened slowly. A man who appeared in his mid-thirties opened the door. He had combed back dark blonde hair, a fair and slightly pale complexion, and clear blue eyes framed by round, wire-rimmed eyeglasses. He laid his eyes on Link, and they widened, a smile creeping onto his lips.

"Well, if it isn't Link Avalon!" He laughed, walking out of the door towards him. Link chuckled softly, heartily shaking his hand.

"Nice to see you again, Shad," Link nodded.

Shad Ashei was a former colleague of Link's, when he was still in the lawyer profession. If owning his own law firm wasn't any indication, Shad was the more gifted an attorney between the two of them; even Link didn't deny that. In fact, Link firmly thought that if Shad were the one handling the defense in that trial six years ago, then it wouldn't have ended the way it did—tragically and suddenly.

"Come on, come on," Shad patted him on the back, gesturing him to go into the room he came from. "Lets talk privately." He turned to Telma and smiled kindly. "Thank you, Telma."

"No problem," she nodded before turning back to her computer, popping her gum.

Shad closed the door behind him and Link stood in the middle of his office. Two leather chairs sat before his bown polished mahogany desk. Behind it were paintings of the legendary Ooccoo society, the City in the Sky. Shad had an affinity for collecting things related to the mythical Ooccoo, said to be an ancestor of the Hylian cucco.

_Shad_, Link mused as he observed the earthy tones of the room. _Same as ever, I see_.

"So what brings you here, Link?" The bespectacled man asked him, gesturing for him to take a seat in one of the chairs. "Would you like anything to drink? Coffee? Water?"

"I'm fine," Link shook his head, sitting down on one of the chairs. "And you? How's it going as of late?"

"Ah, it's okay," he shrugged. "Had an offer yesterday, but I refused… Are you, uh, still studying to be a teacher?"

"Actually," Link started, "I'm a professor at Hyrule University."

Shad's eyebrows shot up. "That so, huh? It seems you're doing pretty well."

"And you too," Link nodded with a smile, glancing at Shad's shining attorney's badge, pinned over his heart. "…Shad, can I ask you something?"

"Legal stuff?" Shad rested his elbow on the armrest and rubbed his cheek.

"I guess you can put it that way," the professor shrugged. "…That offer you mentioned earlier… Did it have something to do with… a Ms. Marin Tarin?"

Shad's brow knit at that. "…How did you know that?"

"She's my student," Link shook his head, still in slight disbelief. "She told me that she's under suspicion of her boyfriend's death… And that no lawyer she's approached has accepted."

"I… I see…" The lawyer nodded slowly as he rubbed his clean-shaved chin, as opposed to Link's, which was lined with fine stubble.

"And… It was so strange," Link leaned forward. He rested his elbows on his knees, and in turn rested his chin on the back sides of his hands. "Her situation… It was so similar to—"

"So you noticed as well…" Shad cut him off. Link looked up at him, raising an eyebrow.

"To be honest, I thought it was actually _her_ when she walked into my office too," Shad smiled weakly. "I'm sure you thought the same as well."

"Of course I did," Link laughed bitterly. "The way she looked… The way she talked, the way she acted… The sound of her voice… Even the smell of her perfume…" The lighter blonde shook his head. "Everything was the same…"

Shad raised an eyebrow. "…Link?"

"I promised her I'd take the case," Link stared at him. "I told her I'd be her defense attorney."

"Link!" Shad cried out.

"I know it's crazy," Link quickly tried to explain himself. "…But I know that all this just can't be a coincidence! Two different murders happening at the same place… A couple in the middle of it: the boyfriend is poisoned to death and the girlfriend is the one who everyone is pointing their fingers at… That's not an act of chance, Shad. I know that somehow this case and the one I handled six years ago are related… I don't know how… But I can feel that they are…"

Shad stared at Link. He could see the passion burning in his cobalt eyes. His expression hard and determined. He couldn't help but smile to himself. _Link_, he thought, _after all these years… you haven't changed a single bit_.

"You're serious about this?" Shad asked him.

"Yes," Link nodded. "I want to take on this trial… I know I said that I'd never go back into law… But there's something about this case… There's something about this Marin Tarin… Something's not right… I know that if I take this case, then I'll get some answers. I want to know what happened on that day six years ago… And I'm going to find out."

After a few moments, Shad sighed softly. "…Very well." He reached into a drawer and handed Link a manila folder. "This is the court record. Everything you need to know about the trial is in there. I received these from the district courthouse; they assumed I'd be taking the case."

Link took the folder and opened the flap. He quickly flipped through the papers, perusing the contents, before closing it again.

"I trust you still have your attorney's badge?" Shad asked him.

"I do," Link nodded before chuckling. "…Hell, I even had a case specially made for it."

"Then you're all set," Shad nodded as he smiled slightly at Link's last statement. "The trial's in two days at the Court of the Heavenly Goddesses in Hylia Square at 9:45… I'm sure you still know where that is."

Link smirked softly at that. _Gods, this just keeps getting better and better…_ He got up from his seat with a quiet grunt and extended his hand to shake Shad's. "Thank you."

**- - - - - - - - - -**

September 2, 2008; 10:16 PM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Vantage Pointe Condominiums, Apartment 201

Link got his hot chocolate out of the microwave as soon as the timer beeped. He walked over to the kotatsu, a low, traditional Hylian table with a heater underneath it. He took a seat in front of his open laptop and the papers sprawled around it, and slipped his legs under the table, the warmth enveloping them.

He reclined in his seat, savoring the warm chocolate, ran a hand through his messy, tangled hair, and stared out through the glass sliding doors leading to the balcony of his one-room apartment. Despite living in a high-rise, his building was in a low-density residential area in southeast Castle Town, where the buildings were rather low—a rarity in the endless sea of towering concrete and glass that made up the nation's capital—so he had a pretty nice view of the city from his apartment. The Light Campus where he worked was clearly visible, nearby was the Temple of Time, the seat of the Hylian Church, and not too far off was the perpetually lit and lively Hylia Square, the city's main skyscraper district, and the nearby Hyrule Castle, the home of the Hylian Royal Family.

Setting his mug onto a wooden coaster, he picked up a small square velvet box sitting to the right of his laptop. It looked as if it housed a piece of valuable jewelry. That was half-right; while not necessarily what one would consider jewelry, it _was_ valuable, especially its nostalgic value. He opened it, and sitting in the silk lining was _it_.

His attorney's badge.

He took it out, placing the empty box back on the table and held the golden brooch-like object to his eye-level. Even in the darkness, it shone brilliantly; the entire apartment was pitch black, with only the bright screen of the laptop and the moonlight pouring in acting as sources of light.

_I never thought I'd have to wear you again_, Link smiled to himself, examining the front. It was circular, probably no larger than three-fourths of an inch in diameter. In the middle was the Crest of the Hylian Court—a Triforce in the middle with the three Goddesses floating around it in a clockwise manner. The back was relatively simple—a needle with a stopper, so that it could be worn like a pin.

He placed it next to his mug and turned back to a paper lying on top of the keyboard of the laptop. It was the outline of the case.

Link had been studying the court record Shad had given him for hours, trying to grasp as much information as he could from what he was handed. He had spent probably an hour making the court arrangements for Marin's trial, before finally registering as her new lawyer.

He planned tomorrow to visit Marin at the District Detention Center where she was being held for questioning and detainment, and then the cafeteria and interview the kitchen staff to get a better grasp of the situation.

He looked back to the computer screen… It was a confidential file that he had been looking at, but was given access to by Shad. It was the complete record of what happened that trial six years ago. The entire court proceeding, the witness testimonies, the evidence presented… All of it was explained in vivid detail.

He reached for another paper, and pulled out the dossier for Marin Tarin. He examined the picture of her closely.

"She looks so familiar…" Link whispered. "She looks just like…"

He looked up to the computer screen, and there was the picture of _her_.

Zelda Harkinian.

Zelda was the prime suspect in that trial. She was defended by Link. Everyone was against her then. The prosecution and the witnesses were horribly bent on trying to get her guilty. But Link knew otherwise. He knew she was innocent. And he was so close to proving it.

"She looks so much like you, Zelda," Link said to the picture on the screen, and then back to the picture of Marin."

"Is it you? …Or does she just look like you?" Link traced his finger against Marin's right cheek. "…Of course it can't be you… It can't be, because the only Zelda Harkinian I know…"

He looked back to Zelda. His gaze hardened, slightly furrowing his brow in sadness.

"…The only Zelda Harkinian I know… is dead."

* * *

There goes chapter one! Chapter two will be up maybe as early as tomorrow if reviews are lovely, or maybe as late as Sunday if you find me in a vindictive mood. No guarantees. :)

Hey kids, lets play online! _Super Smash Bros. Brawl_ code: 1032-0911-0424.

I know it's White Day, but why not break the rules for a minute and give a guy a present--a review :)

Happy Pi Day, White Day, and _Enjoy Life and Smile._

* * *


	2. The Man Whom All Fear

* * *

Here we go, chapter two!

I realize that the first chapter may have left a few people in a tizzy, since so many things happened one after another, in just one chapter, no less, from the murder at the beginning to finding out that Zelda is dead at the end. But that's the last chapter of its kind. Every chapter from here on will only consist of a few scenes, maybe three at the most. But they're all very lengthy and filled with dialogue and information, so it's a good trade-off.

This chapter is taking us back in time six years to Link's very first trial. Chapters two, three and four are all the trial scenes, and we're gonna find out just what happened on that day.

_Circles_ Soundtrack! If you go to **sirjoshizzle(dot)blogspot(dot)com/2008/03/circles-soundtrack(dot)html**, I compiled a collection of songs to go specifically with this story, spanning the four PW/AJ games, and even some _Zelda_ music thrown in. They're all scene and character-specific, and I explain when they are played there. So to get the most out of this story (especially during cout chapters like this), I highly recommend you download them and read with them playing in the background.

One more thing: _Circles_ is based on the Japanese judicial system, so explains the layout of the courtroom and the proceedings of the trials. That's why this is so different from the American court system.

* * *

**Six Years Ago  
Link Avalon's First Trial  
The State vs. Zelda Harkinian**

September 2, 2002; 9:42 AM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Court of the Heavenly Goddesses—Defendant Lobby 5

Twenty-seven year old Link Avalon slumped onto the tan leather sofa, the cushions squeaking softly as he did so.

_Goddesses…_ He hung his head between his legs, running a hand through his hair. _I knew I should have had Shad come along… After all, he's much more experienced than me… If fact, _he_ should have taken this case in the first place!_

"Um… Mr. Avalon?" A soft, female voice spoke. He looked up, and saw his client, Zelda Harkinian.

Zelda Harkinian was the defendant in that day's trial. She was charged for the murder of her boyfriend, Kafei Kaminogi. Kafei himself was a lawyer—a defense attorney to be precise. The two had been eating lunch in the cafeteria at Hyrule University, where Zelda was applying for her registration, and that's when it happened. When he was poisoned to death. People claimed they saw her commit the murder—lacing his drink with poison.

The office Link worked at was notified of Zelda's case the day before. A woman who said she was Zelda's sister was asking—practically _begging_—for someone to take the case.

--

"_Lon Law Offices," Link spoke into the phone, cradling it between his cheek and his neck as he continued to type on the._

"_Yes…" A soft female voice asked. "I… I would like to inquire for a lawyer to… defend my sister?"_

_He paused his typing, straightening his back as he did so._

What should I say? _Link thought as he looked behind him to the door leading to the office of his boss, Talon Lon. _Should I forward this call to Mr. Lon?

"…_This is Link Avalon, defense attorney…"_

"_Oh, thank goodness!" The woman sighed happily. "Mr. Avalon? Please, I know this is so sudden … But would you be my sister's lawyer? Her name is Zelda Harkinian."_

_Link stammered for a second. _M-me!? I-I've never even taken a case yet! I-I'm practically still a law student! I'm not experienced enough to go to—

"_Please, Mr. Avalon! My sister has no one else to turn to! I'm begging you, save my sister and prove her innocence!"_

_He didn't know what to say. He could hear the tears in her voice, how absolutely terrified she was… He just couldn't say no._

"…_A-alright…" Link answered weakly._

--

"Not to sound rude," she smiled slightly, running her fingers through her long ponytail like a comb, "But I didn't think you'd actually show, especially since no one else trusted me."

"Of course I trust you," Link nodded, slightly furrowing his brow. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

As she walked closer to him, their first meeting in the detention center flashed back in his mind.

--

"_A-are you… Zelda Harkinian?" Link stuttered nervously as the woman on the other side of the glass looked at him questioningly._

"_Yes I am," she nodded. It amazed him, how calm she was even when she was put under so much suspicion. "Who are you?" Her eyes fell down to his chest, where his attorney's badge was pinned over his heart. Her eyes widened and she gasped. "Y-you're a—"_

"_Defense attorney," Link nodded with a small smile, finishing her sentence. "My name's Link Avalon… Your sister called the firm I work at."_

_Zelda stared at him for a moment. "…D-does that mean…"_

"_Your sister asked me to defend you," Link nodded again. "And I'm here to meet you personally, so we can talk."_

"…_So does that mean… you trust me?" She asked hopefully. "I didn't do it. You believe me… don't you, Mr. Avalon?"_

"_Of course I believe you,_"_he smiled._

"…_Then will you take my case then?" She looked away from him for a second, a sad look on her face. "…Or will you refuse, like all the other lawyers I talked to?"__She_ asked again.

_Link's smile slowly faded as he raised an eyebrow slightly. _Does she not _want_ me to be her attorney?

"…_It's up to you." Link finally said._

--

"Where's your sister?" Link looked around. "I thought she was going to show up."

"She'll be coming in later," Zelda replied. "She has a really important job interview." He nodded in response.

"…Judging from your voice," Link smiled softly. "I thought you were her for a moment… Your sister, I mean. You two sound the same."

"I'm not surprised," she laughed. "We're twins."

His brow shot up at that. "…Twins, huh?"

"Yes," she nodded. "We're identical. Very few people can tell us apart at first glance. Even then, it takes a while for people to remember which one of us is who."

_So the Harkinian sisters…_ Link thought in his mind. _They're twins, eh? Didn't expect that._

"…So, are you ready, Ms. Harkinian?" Link stood up, dusting his slacks off. "The trial's about to begin."

"I am," she smiled, tilting her head to the side.

He gestured to the double doors leading to the courtroom, motioning for her to go first. "Then let's go."

**- - - - - - - - - -**

September 2, 2002; 9:45 AM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Court of the Heavenly Goddesses—Courtroom 5

Link stood behind the defense's desk, with Zelda standing next to him. Across from him on the other side of the courtroom was the prosecution's desk. Behind him and the prosecution's desk were the benches for the audience, which was made of sixteen people, eight people on each side. To his left was the witness stand, on the end of the courtroom, right in front of the exit. To his right, on the far end, was the judge's bench. Behind it was the presiding judge, Auru Sayje, a man in his late-forties who has been in law for over twenty-five years.

"Where's the prosecutor?" Zelda whispered to Link. He glanced over to the prosecution's desk, and sure enough, it was empty.

"I don't know," he shook his head.

The doors suddenly flew open. Everyone in the courtroom turned to the open double doors to see a man standing there. His skin was a dark brown. His eyes were like two blazing fireballs, burning holes into the heads of whoever looked in his direction. His red-orange hair was combed back neatly, and his clothing was sharp and sophisticated, like it cost a great deal of money.

Ganondorf Dragmire.

Of Gerudo descent, Ganondorf Dragmire was one of the best prosecutors in the prefecture, if not _the_ best, and if not in the country. He became a prosecutor at the young age of twenty-one, and now at thirty-five, has never lost a single case. He would do anything to get his guilty verdict. He was feared by attorneys across the city, due to his intimidating stare and the lengths he was rumored to have no shame in going to, just to find people guilty.

_So that's him_, Link stared at him, sweat forming over his brow in nervousness._That's Ganondorf Dragmire_.

Link has heard stories of the feared prosecutor. He thought that there could never be a person as infamous as Ganondorf Dragmire. He was wrong. The man's mere presence was enough to make a child cry. And to think that on his very first trial, he was facing a man who held fourteen years of law experience over his head.

"Ah, Mr. Dragmire," Auru spoke as Ganondorf stepped behind the prosecution's desk. "So nice of you to join us."

Ganondorf said nothing. He just chuckled softly, shaking his head at Link. "_You're_ who I'm facing today, huh? …Never seen you around before."

"This is your first trial, correct?" Auru glanced in Link's direction.

"Y-yes," the attorney stuttered slightly. "I'm Link Avalon." _Don't try to sound so nervous! You can do this, Link! Just focus and remember—Ms. Harkinian is innocent!_

"Well then, Mr. Avalon," Auru nodded. "Court is now in session for the trial of Zelda Harkinian… Is the defense ready?"

"Yes, Your Honor," he looked over to him. "I'm ready."

"Is the prosecution, ready?" The judge turned to Ganondorf.

"What kind of question is that?" The Gerudo scoffed in reply. "If I weren't, would I be standing here?"

Auru flinched slightly at that, but he quickly regained his composure. Link caught sight of his and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

_He's even got the judge scared! Who is this guy!?_

"…W-well," Auru said, clearing his throat. "Mr. Dragmire, your opening statement, please?"

"It's fairly obvious why we're all here," he replied coldly. "A defense attorney, Kafei Kaminogi, was poisoned to death in the cafeteria of Hyrule University's Light Campus. His girlfriend, Ms. Zelda Harkinian, is guilty. I'm here to prove it to Mr. Avalon over here, who is clearly under the false impression that she is otherwise."

"I-I didn't kill him!" Zelda shouted at him as she slammed her hands against the desktop.

"Please, Ms. Harkinian," Auru turned to her. "Please refrain from any further outbursts."

"Yes, Ms. Harkinian," Ganondorf snickered at her. "Women have so much trouble learning their place…" He turned to Link. "You! If you can't even keep your client in line, what possessed you to think that you can clear her name of murder!?"

"U-ugh…" Link groaned almost inaudibly through gritted his teeth, glaring the prosecutor down. _What the hell is this guy's problem!? Why doesn't the judge overrule him or something!?_

"Mr. Dragmire," Auru slammed his gavel down to silence the whispering audience. "Your first witness, please?"

"…I call a woman to the stand," Ganondorf crossed his arms over his chest. "A woman who saw Ms. Harkinian poison the deadly coffee first-hand!"

Link's eyes widened at that. "W-what!?" He turned to Zelda with uncertain eyes. She caught sight of this and she pouted.

"W-why are you looking at me like that!?" Zelda whispered to him. "I told you I didn't kill him!"

Link gave her a hard look for a moment, but nodded, _Ms. Harkinian… I hope you really are telling me the truth_.

A woman who looked in her early twenties walked out from the double doors of the courtroom and directly to the witness stand in front of them, standing right in front of Auru. She had long red hair, dark brown eyes, and a slightly tan complexion.

"Witness," Ganondorf said to her. "State your name and occupation for the court."

"Malon Romani," she smiled. "I'm a nursing student at Hyrule U."

"And you say you saw Ms. Harkinian poison Mr. Kaminogi's drink?" Auru raised an eyebrow.

"That's right," she nodded.

"Ah…" He rubbed his chin. "…Then I suppose there's no reason for this trial to go any further…"

Link stared at him in disbelief. _He can't be serious!_ "Y-Your Honor! She hasn't even testified yet!"

The judge stammered for a moment at that. "Ah! R-right… Ms. Romani, your testimony, if you please."

"Yes, Your Honor," she said.

"I was having lunch that day," Malon started. "The cafeteria was pretty crowded since I came in during the peak rush… But through the crowds, I saw a man sitting alone, drinking some coffee. Then a girl sat down across from him; it was the defendant. She poured something into his drink. It must have been the poison!" She exclaimed. "It must have been!"

"I see," Auru nodded, his eyes closed in thought. He opened one eyelid and looked at Link. "Mr. Avalon… You may begin your cross-examination."

"R-right!" Link answered. He looked over to Malon, who was fiddling with a stand of her hair. _This is it_, he thought to himself. _It's time to get Ms. Harkinian's innocence!_

"…Now," Link started slowly. "Ms. Romani, you're a student at Hyrule University, correct?"

"That's right," she replied. "A junior."

"…A junior, you say? …That's odd," he rubbed his chin. He picked up a paper from under his desk. "I have a schedule of the registration dates for Hyrule U.'s students with me. The day of the murder was the sophomore registration… The junior registration was the day_before_… Why were you still there?"

Malon looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "H-huh?"

"Objection!" Ganondorf interrupted. "Your Honor, I would like to know what this line of questioning has to do with the case at hand! Does it matter why she was at the cafeteria that day!?" He looked at Link. "She just said she was having lunch!"

Link flinched slightly at that.

…_What_does_ this have to do with the murder!?_

"Well, Mr. Avalon?" Auru gave him an accusing look. "Does it matter?"

"Excuse me!" Malon raised her hand. "If I may interrupt, I was at the university because the nursing program was having an orientation that day!"

Everyone looked at her. Link raised an eyebrow. "…A-an orientation?"

"Yeah," she answered. "I was accepted into it back in June, and the orientation for the program was that day. We were all on break, and I decided to have lunch at the school!"

"Ah… It seems your question did not relate to the case after all," Auru gave Link a suspicious look.

"U-um…!" Link gasped, clenching his teeth.

"Just like children to waste time," Ganondorf snickered, shaking his head in disapproval.

Link opened his mouth to retort, but the prosecutor cut him off. "Hurry up already and cross-examine her!"

The Hylian attorney drilled holes into Ganondorf's head with his hard gaze before cooling down and returning to Malon. "Um, okay… Witness, you said you saw my client put the poison into the victim's drink… Was it by any chance, this?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pink packet of sugar with the top ripped off.

Malon's eyes lit up. "Yes! That's it! That's what she poured into the drink!"

"Mr. Avalon!" Auru exclaimed. "What is that?"

"This, Your Honor, was found at the crime scene," Link held it up for everyone to see. "This is what our witness just claimed held the poison used to kill Mr. Kaminogi… But as you can see, other than the tear, there are no signs of it being tampered with!" He slammed his hands on the desk, setting down the pack of sugar as he did so. "How could my client have replaced the sugar inside with poison if it had never previously been opened!?"

Ganondorf grunted at that, staring at Link with hard eyes. "Objection! She obviously switched the packets!"

"Objection!" Link shook his head. "This was the only pack of sugar found at the table… Plus, it was tested by the precinct in charge of investigation, and there were no traces of any sort of poison found in it. Moreover, your witness claimed to have seen everything! If what you said was true, why didn't she see it when she was obviously watching the whole time!?"

"A-agh!" The Gerudo flinched. The audience began to murmur softly, but they were silenced by a slam of Auru's gavel.

"Order!" Auru yelled. "W-witness! What is the meaning of this!?"

Malon's brow was furrowed, and her eyes were filled with confusion. "…I saw… But that's what I saw! She poured whatever was in that pack into the drink!"

"Objection!" The prosecutor sighed in irritation. "It doesn't matter… Ms. Harkinian poured whatever it was that was in that packet of sugar and Mr. Kaminogi died! Anything else is irrelevant!"

"W-what!?" Link tensed.

"…And besides," he snickered. He reached into his desk and pulled out a folder. "I have the autopsy report right here."

Everyone in the room gasped at that. Auru stared at him, slamming his gavel. "Mr. Dragmire! Read to the court the contents immediately!"

"As you wish," he nodded, opening the folder. "…Died at roughly 12:15 PM on August 29, 2002. The cause of death was an over dosage of potassium cyanide, and died three minutes after swallowing it... The dosage was approximately 100 mg…" Ganondorf closed the folder and handed it to the bailiff for Auru to read himself. "…Mr. Avalon, please read us the net weight of that packet."

Link blinked for a second before picking up the pack. _What's he getting at? _He read the contents… "A-ah! O-one hundred milligrams!"

Auru shot up from reading the autopsy report to look at Link. "W… W-what!?"

"It seems that instead of helping your client…" Ganondorf laughed. "…You've dug her in deeper!"

"M-Mr. Avalon!" Zelda gasped. Link began sweating, his entire body shaking. _G-Ganondorf set me up! He _knew_ about the sugar packet! B-but how!?_

"…O-objection!" Link threw the empty packet onto the table. "T-the weight of the contents in this packet doesn't matter! I doubt anyone in a manufacturing company would replace sugar with poison! The point is that what my client poured into the victim's drink was _not_ the poison!"

"…Then what _was_ it, exactly, if not poison?" Auru cocked an eyebrow. "Objection over—"

"Objection!" Ganondorf yelled again. He chuckled softly and turned to Auru, "I apologize for the mix-up, Your Honor… It's true that the packet Mr. Avalon just presented did not carry anything fatal…"

Link's jaw fell open. _H-he knew!?_

He reached under the desk for a clear glass bottle. "…On the contrary, _this_ is what carried the murder weapon."

"What!?" Link stared at him. "What is that!?"

"This was tested at the precinct, and unlike that sugar pack, this tested positive for traces of cyanide. It was found in Ms. Harkinian's purse during her interrogation… And if it wasn't enough, it carries her fingerprints too!"

The audience began talking amongst themselves. Some eyed Zelda suspiciously. Some gave disapproving looks to Link.

"Order!" Auru roared over them. "Order!"

"Hold on!" Malon yelled out again. Everyone in the room turned to her. She grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of her head. "I… I think I remembered things wrong…"

Link scoffed in disbelief. "You can't be serious! You even pointed out that it was the packet that Ms. Harkinian put in the drink!"

"Yeah!" She nodded. "But remember I said that it was crowded? …People passed by, so I missed a few moments… She could have poisoned the drink then!"

Link stared at her, long and hard. He furrowed his brow in uncertainty._There's… There's something wrong with that statement… _He glanced over to Ganondorf, and he was just standing behind his desk, his arms folded and his eyes closed. _He doesn't notice it?_

"So…" Malon started, nervously looking around. "…Am I done here?"

"Wait!" Link pointed at her. "I have something to ask you!"

"Mr. Avalon!" Auru cut in. "What's the meaning of—"

"Please, Your Honor!" The attorney turned to him. "If I could ask her one more thing!"

The judge stared at him for a moment, but nodded. "…Fine. Just one more question. But it better have something to do with the trial."

"It does," Link smiled. He turned back to Malon. "Ms. Romani…"

"What is it?" She asked.

"I remember you said the cafeteria that day was crowded, and people passed between you and Mr. Kaminogi before Ms. Harkinian sat down with him..."

Malon nodded and shrugged both her shoulders and an eyebrow slightly. "Yeah? So?"

"But if memory serves me right…" Link slammed a hand on the desk. _I have her now…_ "You never testified that a crowd passed _after_ she sat down!"

She jumped slightly at that, swallowing hard. "Ah! E-er…"

"Objection!" Ganondorf intervened yet again. "Are you deaf? She just said she remembered things wrong! Your Honor, overrule him!"

"Objection!" Link shook his head. "There's a difference between remembering things incorrectly… and contradicting yourself!"

"M-Mr. Avalon!" Auru looked at him. "Explain yourself!"

"Remember her original testimony," Link turned to him. "A crowd passed, but that's when the victim was alone… When it was gone, Ms. Harkinian appeared and sat down with him. The witness clearly testified that she saw everything from that moment on. But suddenly she brings up people passing by to obscure her view!?"

Auru nodded slowly at Link's explanation. "…Mr. Dragmire, Mr. Avalon's reasoning is without merit. That objection is sustained."

Ganondorf glared at Link, who was smirking cheekily at him. "Grr…"

"Witness!" Auru snapped at Malon. "What is the meaning of this!?"

Malon just stood there behind the stand, looking around the room; everyone's eyes were on her.

_T-this can't be!_ Malon panicked in her head. _M-Mr. Dragmire… I did exactly like he told be to… But him! _She glanced to Link, who was whispering something to Zelda. _Because of him, everything backfired! …I-I have to somehow prove to everyone that… That girl over there killed that guy!_

"Y-Your Honor," Malon started. She quickly plastered on a smile to hide her nervousness. "I'd like to testify once again. A second crowd really did pass by, I swear!"

Both Link and Ganondorf turned to Auru, awaiting his answer. The judge sighed softly and nodded. "Fine. The witness may revise her testimony."

Link groaned under his breath. _I was so sure I had her…__What's she gonna say this time?_

"Mr. Avalon," Zelda glanced over to him. He looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes?" He asked.

She just smiled and chuckled softly. "I have to say that for your first trial, this is… very exciting."

Both his eyebrows went up, but he blushed slightly and laughed it off. "T-thanks."

Malon cleared her throat and tucked some hair behind her ear. "Okay… After Ms. Harkinian sat down, she picked up a pack of sugar from the tray of food she came with, and poured it into his drink."

Link nodded at that. _At least that much is true…_

"She turned to reach into her purse, and she pulled out some half-empty bottle… I think that's the one Mr. Dragmire showed us." She scratched her head in thought. "Anyway… That's when the other crowd blocked my view. When they were gone, she was pouring the rest of the contents into that guy's cup! The guy took a drink from his coffee… Then all of a sudden he started choking and gasping! And then he… He died! She killed him!"

The audience began talking amongst themselves as soon as Malon finished.

"She…" Auru whispered. "She poured the poison into the victim's drink!?"

Link looked at Zelda in disbelief. _W-was Malon really telling the truth!?_ "M-Ms Harkinian! Is what she just said true!?"

"Yes!" Auru cut in after he heard Link's question. "Did you pour the contents of the bottle of poison into Mr. Kaminogi's drink!?"

Zelda swallowed a few times before finally answering, "…Yes."

The entire courtroom was up in arms at her answer. Auru tried to silence them with his gavel, but the audience didn't relent.

"B-but I didn't know it was poison!" Zelda turned to Link, tears almost forming in her eyes. "Mr. Avalon, please believe me! Kafei asked if I had more sugar for his coffee. I looked into my purse because I had some leftovers from a coffee shop I went to that morning, and then I found the bottle! It said, "Sugar" on the side, and it was half-filled with what I thought was it! So I poured it in! He took a drink of the coffee… And then he died!"

Link just looked at her, his trust in her slowly slipping away. _I want to believe her… so badly… But how can I…_ He glanced to Malon. _…When_this_ comes up!?_

"Ms. Harkinian…" Link whispered, but loud enough for her to hear over the chattering of the audience behind him. "What she said… And what you confessed to… Was rather incriminating…"

"But I swear I didn't kill him!" Zelda cried. "Y-you're my attorney! Of all the people in this courtroom, I'd expect _you_ to believe me!"

Link stared at her sadly. _She's right… I'm supposed to believe in her. She can't be lying about this… Those eyes are telling me the truth… W-wait!_ His eyes widened and he looked over to Malon.

"…You're lying!" Link yelled at Malon over the courtroom. Everyone fell completely silent after his outburst. Malon was staring back at him, right at his index finger pointed at her.

"E-excuse me!?" Malon snapped back angrily.

"You're lying, Ms. Romani!" Link reiterated himself, but in a much calmer voice. "You're lying, and I'll prove it!"

"Mr. Avalon!" Auru slammed down his gavel. "I want an explanation! Now!"

"The boy is delirious," Ganondorf laughed in amusement. "The trial is over, boy! Your client just confessed to her crime!"

"I beg to differ, Prosecutor Dragmire," Link grinned, using Ganondorf's title almost as a taunt. "This trial is far from over!"

"Your explanation!" Auru demanded of Link.

"Your Honor," Link turned to Auru. "Please reread to us the autopsy report for Kafei Kaminogi."

The judge eyed him suspiciously, but opened the folder of the autopsy and read aloud the report. "Defense attorney Kafei Kaminogi died at roughly 12:15 PM on August 29, 2002. The cause of death was an over dosage of potassium cyanide, and died three minutes after swallowing it—"

"Stop right there, Your Honor!" Link interrupted him. "That's where the witness is lying!"

Auru gave him a confused look. "What do you mean!?"

"Ms. Romani testified that Mr. Kaminogi died almost immediately after drinking the coffee after Ms. Harkinian poured the poison… But the autopsy clearly states _three minutes_ passed between the poison consumption and the death!"

He slammed his fist on the table and turned to Malon with fiery eyes. "What happened to those three minutes!?"

"AHHH!" Malon yelped, covering her mouth in shock. _N-noooooo!_

Ganondorf was taken aback as the audience yet again started another upheaval._T-this rookie!_ He death glared Link. _This little novice is making a fool of me!_

"Order!" Auru yelled. "Order! Anyone speaking out of turn will be removed from my courtroom immediately! …Ms. Romani!? What is the meaning of this! Explain yourself! _Now_!"

Malon swallowed hard, breaking out into an uneasy sweat. Her shoulders were slightly raised from the tension in her muscles. "Uh! …Un… Mm…!"

"That's enough, witness," Ganondorf interrupted in an agitated voice.

"I…" Malon choked. "I'm sorry, Mr. Dragmire…"

He just glared at her from the corner of his eyes, shaking his head in disappointment.

"It seems that we learned very little from this witness' testimony other than an outline of what happened that day," Auru said.

"Your Honor," Link said to him. The middle-aged man turned to him with a questioning eyebrow. "I'm afraid I have to disagree with that."

"And why is that?" Auru's brow furrowed.

"We learned something very important from Ms. Romani's testimony," Link crossed his arms. "Something that changes the very nature of this case."

"And that is?" Auru asked.

"My client indeed poured the poison into Mr. Kaminogi's drink," Link explained. Zelda winced slightly. "…But it's clear that action was not the actual cause of death," he quickly added, trying to ease her with a reassuring smile. "Someone else poisoned him! And that person tried to frame Ms. Harkinian for the murder!"

Auru was taken aback. "M-Mr. Avalon!"

"The autopsy report states that between the poisoning and his actual death, three minutes passed in between." Link tried to clarify. "Zelda Harkinian unknowingly poisoned his coffee which he drank afterwards, but the autopsy suggests that the poison that killed him was already consumed. Ms. Romani said that the victim was alone for a moment before Ms. Harkinian sat down at the table with the food, meaning that she was gone for a moment… Someone slipped the poison into the drink during that time!"

"Objection!" Ganondorf interjected. "Ms. Harkinian was indeed gone! But on the way back to the table, she could have easily slipped the poison into the coffee then! That would explain the three-minute time gap!"

"Objection!" Link quickly shot back. "Were you not listening? Your witness clearly stated at the beginning of the trial that she saw the victim sitting, 'drinking some coffee'!"

The prosecutor grunted as his face twisted in frustration.

"Excellent assessment, Mr. Avalon," Auru nodded in approval. "You're quite an attorney, especially this being your first trial."

Link just smiled sheepishly. _I suppose, but in the end, everything I pointed out this whole time was just common sense_. He opened his mouth to say his mind, but he abruptly stopped himself, thinking that Auru would take personal offense.

"Ms. Romani, do you have anything else the court needs to know about?" Auru looked forward towards her. She was looking down in defeat, brushing away the hair falling into her face.

"She does not," Ganondorf answered for her. "My next witness is waiting in the prosecutor's lobby. I assure you that she will be of more use than Malon Romani has been."

Malon gasped sharply, his words stinging her. But she quickly settled down, rubbing her upper arm nervously.

"Very well," Auru nodded. "Ms. Romani is dismissed. Court will reconvene after a ten-minute recess with the prosecution's new witness."

And with that, Auru slammed his gavel down, the noise echoing through the court room.

* * *

That's part one of Zelda's trial. I wonder why Malon was so bent on trying to get Zelda guilty? Hmm, you'll find out later.

_Enjoy Life and Smile._

* * *


	3. The Third Wheel

* * *

Chapter three!

For those wondering, Kafei's last name, "Kaminogi" is a half-anagram from a Japanese saying meaning, "a bitter drink", which references his cause of death. :)

* * *

September 2, 2002; 11:19 AM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Court of the Heavenly Goddesses—Defendant Lobby 5

Link sat down on the sofa, looking through a folder of the record from Malon's testimony. He had requested a transcript of her entire testimony, and he reread it over and over closely.

_So we know that Zelda poisoned the coffee_, he thought to himself. _But that's not what killed Kafei Kaminogi… She found the bottle half-empty… so someone _must_ have poisoned it before she did, and _that's_ what killed him. She said she had never seen that bottle before up until that moment; what I said is the only possible explanation… But what about that next witness?_

"Mr. Avalon…"

Link looked up from the folder to see Zelda standing in front of him. "Oh, Ms. Harkinian—"

"Zelda," she cut him off.

He tilted his head and furrowed his brow. "…Huh?"

"Call me, 'Zelda'," she said with a smile. He blinked for a second, but he shrugged it off and smiled.

"R-right," he nodded. "…Zelda… Did you want to tell me something?"

"Oh," her eyes widened slightly. "Yes… I just wanted to say… Thank you. For back there… I really thought that you didn't trust me anymore."

_For a second there_, he said in his mind, _I wasn't sure I trusted you anymore either_.

"It's alright," he smiled. "I'm your attorney. Like you said, I, of all people, should be the one to believe you… I'm sorry if you got the wrong impression."

"No, no." She shook her head. "It's alright, Mr. Ava—"

"You can call me, 'Link'," he interrupted her for a second. But before he could take it back, his cheeks flushed slightly. "…I mean… I-I mean, um…"

"You don't have to explain," she laughed softly, shaking her hand. He blushed a bit as he rubbed the back of his neck in nervousness.

"Um, alright," he replied. "…So I talked to Mr. Sayje right after he called the recess…" He closed the folder and placed it on the cushion next to him. "I requested that after Mr. Dragmire's witness testifies… that I may call you to the stand as well."

She inhaled sharply at that, slightly shaking. But she held herself together. "W-why?"

"I believe that you have the right to testify in this case," he told her. "If anyone can shed the most light on what happened… Or what didn't happen… It's you, right?"

She looked to the ground with a reluctant look on her face. "I… I suppose you're right…"

"…But remember," he said after a few seconds of silence. "…You also have the right to not testify as well… Either way is fine."

"No, no!" She blurted out, shaking her head as she looked up at him. "I'll… I'll testify."

"Are you sure?" Link furrowed his brow.

"If it'll help the trial along…" she said softly with hesitation. But she smiled brightly and tilted her head to the side. "Then I'd be glad to."

Link gave her a reassuring smile, nodding softly. He got up to his feet, grunting slightly as he did so, and walked past her towards the doors to the courtroom. But he paused for a moment to place a relaxing hand on her shoulder.

"You'll do fine," he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She looked over at him for a moment, but she nodded in reply. "Now come on," Link said to her. "The trial is going to resume soon."

**- - - - - - - - - -**

September 2, 2002; 11:26 AM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Court of the Heavenly Goddesses—Courtroom 5

"My sister's still not here," Zelda whispered to Link as she scanned the audience booth behind her. Link turned away from the notes he took during the recess and to Zelda.

"I'm sure everything's alright," Link said, twirling his pen between his left index and middle fingers. "She's your sister, after all… Plus, she's the one that called me to defend you. Something tells me that a job interview won't keep her from showing up."

Zelda nodded in agreement at that. "I suppose."

"Try not to worry about it so much," Link smiled. "What matters is clearing your name."

She paused for a second, but she grinned and bobbed her head. "R-right!"

Over the murmuring, Auru picked up his gavel and hit it a few times against the sound block. "Order! Order! We are once again in session for the trial of Zelda Harkinian… Defense. Prosecution. Are you two ready?"

"Yes, Your Honor," Link nodded, putting down his pen.

"I am," Ganondorf replied.

"Mr. Dragmire," Auru glanced at the prosecutor. "I trust that your new witness is prepared?"

"She is," he answered. "And she will help us prove what Malon Romani couldn't… That the defendant is guilty of the murder at hand!"

Just before the audience could begin talking, Auru hit his gavel down to preempt them. "We will see about that, Mr. Dragmire. You may call forth your witness."

"Finally," Ganondorf sighed under his breath with an impatient tap on the desk with his finger. "The prosecution calls Impa Inpax to the stand!"

The two bailiffs standing on either side of the doors behind the stand pulled each door open, and a woman in her thirties walks into the courtroom. Her eyes were red, like Ganondorf's, but they were much softer and less violent, and they were also framed by oval-lens glasses. Her short platinum silver hair was neatly tied back into a ponytail, with absolutely no flyaways or stray strands. She was tall and slender, her arms and legs lean and toned. She stepped forward onto the stand before the court.

"Witness," Auru nodded towards her. "Please state your name and occupation for the record."

"My name is Impa Inpax," she said in her husky, almost masculine voice. "I work in the cafeteria at Hyrule University. Your Honor, I hope it's alright if I use this book during my testimony," Impa pulled out a small purple paperback book out of her pocket.

"What is that?" Auru leaned over his bench, slightly lifting himself off his chair.

"I have slight memory problem," she replied. "I wrote down everything I remembered from the day of the murder in here."

Auru cleared his throat before nodding slightly. "If it will help you testify, then I don't see why not…"

"Did you see her the day of the murder?" Link whispered to Zelda, slightly leaning over to her.

"She's the woman who served me," Zelda whispered back.

Link looked at Impa, who was flipping through the pages of her booklet with her finger, swiping her finger as her eyes quickly scanned each page.

"You may begin your testimony, Ms. Inpax," Auru said to her. "Please recall for the court exactly what you saw.

"Very well," she nodded. "It was the 29th of last month, and I was working the lunch shift, like I always do. At around 12:11 probably, we had an overwhelming amount of students coming in that day because of the senior registration; people started pouring into the room at that time. The defendant, Ms. Zelda Harkinian, came in with the victim at 12:05, maybe. A little afterwards, she fell in line for lunch. I was the one who served her. She ordered two rice and teriyaki chicken bowls. I gave her the orders and we walked back to her table."

"O-objection!" Link suddenly outburst. Everyone in the courtroom turned to him.

"Is there something wrong, Mr. Avalon?" Auru asked him.

"The witness said that day the university was holding its senior registration…" Link started. "…When we already established that the 29th was the sophomore registration!"

"Objection!" Ganondorf snapped. "We also established before that the witness is senile and has horrible memory!"

"E-excuse me?" Impa glared at the Gerudo with contempt.

Auru slammed his gavel down to silence everyone. "Mr. Avalon, I know you aim to find contradictions in the testimony… But honestly!"

Link flinched nervously. _D-dammit!_

"I'm afraid that the prosecution has a point," Auru said, almost taking pity on Link. "…Unless you can somehow relate the mix-up to the case?"

Link bit down on his lip. _I-I can't… I don't think so, anyway…_

"…No. I can't, Your Honor."

"Then I'm afraid your objection is overruled," Auru sighed. "And next time, please wait for me to properly allow you to cross-examine the witness."

Link blushed slightly, rubbing the back of his head. "Y-Yes, Your Honor."

"Children are so full of life," Ganondorf laughed in amusement. Link glared him down from across the courtroom, but Auru cut in.

"Since you already began, Mr. Avalon," the judge said, "you may continue your cross-examination."

"…T-thank you," Link stuttered sheepishly. _I don't think the judge will tolerate anymore outbursts for pointless discrepancies like that… I have to be careful with what I say from now on… But how the hell can I find a contradiction…_

He looked over to Impa, who was once again looking through her booklet._…With that kind of testimony? It was practically flawless!_

"Link?" Zelda glanced at him with a worried look. "Are you alright? …You're sweating…"

"H-huh?" He jumped slightly at her voice. He whirled over to her, who was beginning to show signs of nervousness.

_W-what the hell is wrong with you, Link?_ He mentally kicked himself. _Stay calm! For Zelda's sake! Her life is in your hands! If you start to panic, think of the mess _she'll_turn into!_

He calmed himself down, silently taking deep breaths and told Zelda that he was fine. He looked down at his notes he took from what Impa said and the transcript of Malon's testimony.

_There's no contradiction between Impa and Malon's testimonies_, he said to himself. _Maybe if I try to get more information out of her… She'll slip something out she shouldn't have_. He looked to Ganondorf. _He's manipulating the testimonies. I know it._

He glanced back to Impa. _I'll risk looking stupid by asking obvious questions… But if I'm right, it'll be worth it._

"Ms. Inpax," Link started slowly. "What day was the 29th?"

"…I believe it was a Thursday," she replied.

Link picked up the paper of the registration dates and turned it over. "I have a list of the registration dates… And on the back of it is the cafeteria shift schedule for students looking to enroll in the university's cafeteria program!"

Impa's eyes lit up at that. "…I-is that so?"

"Yes," he nodded. "It lists the cafeteria staff for all the campus' cafeterias and what days they work on. I look at this list… and it says here under Thursdays that you are not scheduled to work, yet you obviously were!"

"Y-yes…" Impa stuttered. "That is correct… But one of our workers that day was ill, so I volunteered that day… Is that a problem, Mr. Attorney?"

"…No," Link slowly shook his head. "…Of course not…" He heard Ganondorf chuckle under his breath, to which Link bitterly gritted his teeth. "…M-moving on… You said my client ordered two meals, correct?"

"Correct," she nodded. "For herself and him… The victim, I suppose we can all agree upon… But it was strange."

Link looked up from his papers to Impa. "Excuse me? What was strange?"

"She only ordered two bowls," she shrugged. "She didn't get a third one for the other person at the table…"

_T-that's it!_ Link jumped in his mind. "Stop right there, witness!"

Impa jumped startled. "I-I beg your pardon?"

"You mentioned a _third person_ sitting at the table Ms. Harkinian and Mr. Kaminogi were!" Link pressed his hands against the table. "That changes the entire case!"

Impa choked at that. A film of sweat formed on her brow as she began to squeeze her booklet with both hands. "O-oh!"

The audience started chattering amongst themselves at the information that was just said.

"…T-three people?"

"I thought there were only two!"

"Maybe the girl didn't kill him after all…"

"Order!" Auru yelled over them. "Order! Anyone talking out of turn will be held in contempt of court!" He hit his gavel once and turned to Impa with a stern look. "M-Ms. Inpax! What you just brought up is very vital to the case!"

Impa squeezed her book tighter, the edges fraying and slightly tearing as her grip tensed. "A-ah… Y-you see, Your Honor…"

But before she could continue, Ganondorf once again interjected. "Objection! …The prosecution would like to remind the court that, once again, the witness has a bad memory! It could be one silly mix-up!"

"I ob—" Link started to yell, but Ganondorf cut him off as well.

"Sustain my objection!"

"Objection!" Link repeated with more force, pounding his fist against the table. "I find it hard to believe that she could have mixed _that_ up! She was clearly instructed before she began testifying to recall_ everything_ she saw! And she said that while Ms. Harkinian was in line, there were two other people at the table she was sitting at before she left!"

Ganondorf was fuming at him as the crowds grew louder.

"She's lying, Link!" Zelda tugged at his rolled-up sleeve.

Link's face contorted in confusion as he snapped over to her. "W-what?"

"It was only me and Kafei at that table!" She exclaimed. "I don't remember anyone else!"

Link stared at her for a moment, still unsure about what she said. _Is she telling me the truth? …But Impa! She said very clearly that there was a third person at the table! …And by the way she's sweating…_ Link glanced to Impa, who was wiping her brow dry. _Something tells me… that Impa's right._

"Let's just hear what Ms. Inpax has to say," Link finally said. "This could be important."

"ORDER!" Auru roared over the courtroom, and din quickly subsided. "…Ms. Inpax, please revise your testimony right now. Tell us about the third person at the table."

"…Y… Y-yes, Your Honor," she nodded nervously as she opened up her bent booklet and flipped through the pages. "…It's true… There was a second person at the table with Mr. Kaminogi while Ms. Harkinian was in line for lunch. The person's back was turned to me, so I could not really tell for sure if it was a man or woman."

Link put his pen down, clicking the top against the table. _I couldn't find any contradictions there… But Zelda still insists that there wasn't anyone at the table before she left... Unless… Impa's hiding something from me… I guess we're going to find out pretty soon…_

"Ms. Inpax," Link started. "Was the third person there when Mr. Kaminogi and Ms. Harkinian sat down?"

"Like I said, Mr. Avalon," Impa looked at him. "The cafeteria was crowded because of the registration, so I did not see that moment."

"Your Honor," Ganondorf tapped his foot against the floor. "I object! What does that question have to do with the court? The defense is asking circles around the problem at hand! He claimed that the defendant was not the one who poisoned Mr. Kaminogi, yet he's doing nothing to back it up! He's prolonging Zelda Harkinian's guilty verdict!"

Auru looked back and forth between Link and Ganondorf, who were both watching him intently, waiting for him to say something. "…The prosecution… has a point."

Link began to panic. The hairs on his arm stood on end as his heartbeat picked up. _N-no! I… I can't let him call the verdict yet!_

"Objection!" Link called out. "At least let me finish my cross-examination, Mr. Dragmire!"

"Objection!" The prosecutor shook his head. "I believe you're unable to draw anything worth noting out of Ms. Inpax's testimony. Indeed, you made a very important point… That the possibility of Ms. Harkinian poisoning Kafei Kaminogi is improbable during Malon Romani's testimony… But that doesn't mean it's not _impossible_! You're unable to prove to us that Zelda Harkinian is not responsible for the victim's death! And you asking meaningless questions is proof! Your Honor! I request you hand down your verdict immediately!"

Auru paused for a moment. The entire courtroom was silent. Ganondorf was smirking ecstatically; Link and Zelda, on the other hand, were sweating bullets and their hearts threatened to burst out of their chests.

"…The court finds Ms. Zelda Harkinian…" Auru finally said.

Zelda gasped in terror, her eyes widening so much her eyes threatened to fall out of their sockets. Link's mouth and throat dried up; his muscles tensed so much they ached. _N-no…_ Link cried in his head. _I… I can't let it end this way!_

"OBJECTION!" Link screamed at the top of his lungs and smashed both fists against the table. The noises echoed through the room and were deafening enough to wake the dead.

"Mr. Avalon!" Auru glared at him. "What is the meaning of—"

"Please, Your Honor!" The blonde pleaded desperately. "If I could just have one more minute! …Just one more minute, Your Honor!"

"Face it, rookie," Ganondorf folded his arms over his chest. "It's over… You lost."

"No!" The attorney shook his head. "This witness just made one bad slip-up! We're not going anywhere as long as it's in the air!"

"Then by all means…" Auru leaned on his desk. "You have the floor… But I'm warning you, Mr. Avalon… If it is irrelevant..."

Link nodded slowly, biting slightly on the top of his pen. _This is it_, he told himself. _What I found… is going to change this entire case._

"Ms. Inpax," Link started as he looked straight into her eyes. She pointed her chin towards him, gesturing for him to continue. Before he spoke again, a smile crept onto his lips. "You first testified that Ms. Harkinian, Mr. Kaminogi, and this third person whom you couldn't identify due to large crowds were inside the cafeteria at 12:05 PM, correct?"

"Yes," she nodded. "And?"

"…You also said that it was _not_ until six minutes later, at 12:11, that the cafeteria became overwhelmingly crowded."

"…That's right," she nodded again. There was a silence… but it was quickly broken by Impa's sharp gasp. "N-no!"

His little smile quickly grew into a grin. _I have her now!_ "Yes! You just contradicted yourself, and very badly at that! You clearly saw the third person before the crowds came in!"

Auru's glance shot from Link to Impa, from suspicious to shocked. "W-what?"

The crowds murmured once again. Ganondorf jerked a questioning eyebrow up as he stared at Impa.

_What's with that face?_ Link glanced at the prosecutor curiously. _He didn't know either?_

Impa's grasp on both ends of her booklet caused the front and back covers to crumple slightly as she broke into a cold sweat. "N-no! No, that wasn't it! …I-I'm remembering things wrong!"

Link slammed his hand against the table, gaping at her incredulously. "You can't be serious!"

"There_ was_ a third person, but the defendant wasn't there when that person sat down at the table!" Impa blurted out. "I'm telling the truth!"

Auru ordered the crowds to silence, hitting his gavel against the sound block. "Order! …Ms. Inpax…"

Impa jumped slightly at the stern mention of her name, but eased herself into a calm composure. "Y-Your Honor…"

"Calmly explain to the court what you saw that day…" He set the gavel on top of the sound block and leaned on this desk with his lower arms. "Was the third person at the table before the rush? …Did this third person even exist at all? Take a minute in the prosecutor's lounge to collect yourself and prepare your testimony if you have to."

"Y-yes, Your Honor," Impa nodded, taking in deep breaths and frantically flipping through her booklet as she did. She was hiccupping slightly as well. Link eyed her with a bit on concern.

_She looks kind of frail as well, in addition to that memory problem of hers_, he said to himself.

"…Alright," she said after a few moments of silence. She closed her booklet and set it upon the lectern. "At 12:05, when I first saw Ms. Harkinian and Mr. Kaminogi, it was just them… And as I said before, the lunch rush began at around 12:11, six minutes afterwards. Ms. Harkinian left the table and fell in line shortly afterwards. As she ordered two bowls of chicken and rice, I glanced behind her, and through all the people walking around there was that third person, sitting with Mr. Kaminogi."

Link bit down on his lower lip, curling it into his mouth. _So that's how it was… That explains what Zelda said when she told me that there was no third person sitting with them. She was gone when the person sat down with the victim… But who was that? Whoever it was, I'm positive that they're the real killer in this case…_

"…Well, Mr. Avalon?"

Link jumped up in surprise, shaken loose from his tight train of thoughts. "H-huh?" He whirled over to Auru, who was looking at him expectantly. "Yes, Your Honor?"

Auru was leaning towards him on his desk. He picked up his gavel and pointed the mallet towards him. "You may… cross-examine Ms. Inpax at this time."

Link stared at him blankly for a moment, but quickly regained himself and nodded. "R-right, right…" He looked down at his notes, twirling his pen over his thumb with his middle finger. _I don't think there's anything else I can get out of her at this point… She's pretty much said everything she could. She confirmed my theory that there was a third person involved… But she can't identify that person as a man or a woman… _

Link silently heaved a heavy sigh, looking up and hanging his shoulders, leaning against the desk. He was looking straight at Ganondorf, who had his arms crossed and his gaze impatiently fixated on the blonde.

"…My client," Link started slowly. He looked to Auru, "…is innocent."

Both Auru and Ganondorf raised their eyebrows at that.

"I think we can all agree on that much," Link added. "The probability of Zelda Harkinian being the murderer is looking rather… bleak, especially after the accounts we all heard this morning. Ms. Malon Romani brought up the possibility of another person involved, and Ms. Impa Inpax helped us confirm that… I feel no need to cross-examine this witness. She's done here as far as I'm concerned… But that's up to the prosecution, I feel." He gestured to Ganondorf.

Auru looked at the prosecutor. "…Would you agree, Mr. Dragmire? Or do you yourself have a few questions for Ms. Inpax?"

The Gerudo just looked down with his eyes closed and his brow knit. He tightened his folded arms. "Hmph," he sighed. He opened his eyes and turned to Auru. "The prosecution… agrees with the defense. Impa Inpax's testimony is complete."

Auru nodded and turned to the Sheikah woman. "You may go, Ms. Inpax—"

"But," Link quickly interjected. Everyone in the room looked to him. "…I request a transcript of Ms. Inpax's testimony."

"Very well," Auru nodded. "I will have that up—"

"Or better yet," Link glanced to Impa. "I'd like that notebook of yours added into evidence."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "Excuse me?"

"Your Honor," Link said without turning to Impa. "Please take the witness' notebook into evidence."

"…Mr. Avalon has a point, Ms. Inpax," Auru nodded in agreement. "That book of yours is just as valid as any other in the court record. Please hand it to one of the bailiffs on your way out."

Link glanced over to Ganondorf who was watching Impa give her notebook to one of the bailiffs standing next to the doors to the prosecution's and defendant's lounges; his brow was slightly knit, and he had an uncertain glaze in his red eyes.

_He looks kind of unsettled_, Link thought as the bailiff walked between him and Ganondorf to give Auru the book.

"Well then," Auru said, accepting the booklet with a acknowledging nod and setting it next to him. "I suppose that this court will resume tomorrow morning, with both the prosecution and defense preparing in that time."

"O-oh!" Link turned to him. "Y-Your Honor, you said earlier that I could—"

"—Yes, that's right," Auru nodded quickly as he corrected myself. "I apologize, Mr. Avalon. Before court is adjourned for today, the defense has requested that one more witness speak."

Ganondorf looked at Link with a confused stare, raising his eyebrow higher.

"Defense calls…" Link turned to his left. "Ms. Zelda Harkinian."

The crowd started whispering at the mention of her name. Zelda and Link stared at each other for a few moments.

"That is," Link whispered, but loud enough so only she could hear. "If you still want to."

"No," she shook her head. "I told you I'd testify… And I will."

Link smiled and nodded as she turned around and walked behind the witness stand, adjusting her ponytail slightly. He swallowed hard, struggling a little as his breath hitched and his adam's apple tensed.

_I'm counting on you, Zelda_.

* * *

Next chapter, Zelda testifies, and the last chapter in the flashback to that day. We'll finally see how the case ended, and just what the hell happened to Zelda!

I expect to put it up around Thursday, just before I leave. I'm going to Washington DC for Japan Bowl, which is this academic competition on Japanese culture and language! Wish me luck! You'd say, "_Gambatte_! _Isshokenmei renshu to benkyo shite kudasai ne_?"

Whoa, nelly, you totally have to check this out: one of my readers named Twilight Queen emailed me a parody of Fergie's "Fergalicious" she wrote, but with me! It's so clever and it totally fit the music! Check it out at **sirjoshizzle(dot)deviantart(dot)com/journal/17367711/**.

One more sweet spot for you all: my friend Aaron T. made a video for creative expression this month. In it, he's being interviewed by Naomi Zaas (Dana Q.) on how he's teaching kids the words on the English SAT test--the ghetto way! It's all right here at **youtube(dot)com/watch?v(equals)F3aJE7rs(underscore)R8**. I guarantee, you're gonna laugh, if not wonder, "WTF is this?" You can thank me for scarring you in a review. :)

_Enjoy Life and Smile._

* * *


	4. Unspoken Testimony

* * *

Chapter four! If you've downloaded _Circles Soundtrack_ (on my blog), you'll be using "Examination - Allegro", "Announce the Truth", "Cornered! 2002" and "Reminiscence - Six Years Ago" quite often in this chapter.

* * *

September 2, 2002; 12:38 PM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Court of the Heavenly Goddesses—Courtroom 5

Auru hit his gavel against the sound block for order and looked up at Zelda. "Defendant, your name and occupation, if you please."

"Zelda Harkinian," she replied. "I'm a second-year student at Hyrule University."

"What's the meaning of this?" Ganondorf interjected as he tapped his foot against the desk. "What could she possibly have to say? Does the defense _actually_ believe the court to believe the testimony of the accused herself?"

"Her testimony is just as valid as your last two witnesses," Link argued as a tiny spark of irritation set off inside him. "That's saying something, since both of them have been caught lying to the court, which I may remind you, Mr. Dragmire, is a serious offense."

The Gerudo didn't say anything; he just glared the Hylian down, slowly digging his nails into the wooden desk.

"Both Ms. Romani and Ms. Inpax will be dealt with for perjury once this case is solved," Auru said to the two men, closing a folder in front of him. "But in the meantime, we must hear the defendant's testimony." He looked straight forward to Zelda and gestured his hand towards her. "You may begin, Ms. Harkinian."

"Yes, Your Honor," Zelda nodded. "Kafei and I walked into the cafeteria five minutes past noon, maybe; what Ms. Inpax said first seems right. Three minutes later or so, I got into the lunch line to buy food for Kafei and myself. When I came back, we started eating… That's when Kafei died."

Auru rubbed his chin slowly. "I see… Mr. Avalon, by all means, your cross-examination."

Link quickly glanced at him and nodded before turning to Zelda. _She was kind of vague… A few details that Malon and Impa brought up were missing. Maybe I should focus on getting them out of her first, before I do anything else._

"Ms. Harkinian," the attorney started, addressing her formally. "Mr. Kaminogi died from poison laced in his coffee… When you two walked into the cafeteria that day, he already had the coffee with him, correct?"

"That's right," she replied. "He came over to the campus shortly after I finished my registration process. He had the coffee with him then too."

"I see," he nodded as he jotted down the notes. "When you came back with the food… can you please elaborate on that further?"

"Yes." She quickly brushed a few strands of loose hair out of her eyes. "I sat back down at the table with the tray of food. Before I left, he asked that me to get a pack of sugar for his coffee. So I got one and put it in his drink. He asked if I had anymore, because he said the coffee still tasted bitter. I remembered I went to a café that morning, and I had sugar and some creamer left over in my purse, so I searched my bag for it… That's when I found the glass bottle labeled "100 percent pure sugar" that was filled with the poison that killed him… Thinking it was sugar, I poured it into his coffee. He took another drink… And that's when he started choking… and finally died."

_So that's how it was_, Link thought to himself as he quickly scribbled onto his notepaper as she spoke, trying to keep up with her. _She doesn't seem to be lying… But then why would she?_

"I didn't kill him!" Zelda cried out. "I swear!"

"Please calm yourself, Ms. Harkinian," Auru cut her off, trying to get her to settle down. "The poison you poured into the coffee has already been confirmed to not have been the source of death… I requested a second autopsy just to make sure, and it has turned out to be correct."

She paused for a moment. Her fingers played with the ends of her long hair and she broke into a nervous laugh. "…Oh, that's right. I'm sorry."

Auru gave her a quick smile before turning to Link. "Mr. Avalon, do you have anything else to add?"

"Just a moment, Your Honor," Link replied, not looking up through his papers. _I can't do anything with just that testimony. She doesn't know anything about that person Impa brought up earlier. We're going to have to resume this trial tomorrow if I can't clear her name today… Then again, it can't hurt to ask her._

"The third person involved," Link said slowly. "You didn't see him or her at all, right?"

"…No," she shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he smiled softly. _I wasn't expecting her to know anything, anyway… Dammit, what am I supposed to do now? If I keep asking about the time of the murder, I'll be accused of prolonging the trial again… Maybe if I ask a little about Kafei? That might help._

"The defense requests that the defendant testify once again. This time, about her relationship with the victim, Kafei Kaminogi." Link spoke clearly.

Auru raised an eyebrow slightly.

"What does this have to do with the trial?" Ganondorf sneered. "Admit that you're just stalling! It's not like you lost the trial, anyway… That happens tomorrow, when the trial resumes.

"Her past with him is crucial in pinpointing her motive, if one even exists." Link shot him a dirty look and looked at Auru. "Your Honor?"

"…Permission granted," Auru nodded slowly. "Ms. Harkinian, please tell the court the details of your relationship with Kafei Kaminogi."

"Yes, Your Honor," Zelda replied. "I met him back in June at my cousin's graduation ceremony at Castle Town State University. Kafei and I have been dating… for not very long. It's been two months since we started seeing each other."

"…That's not… very long, like you said," Auru scratched his cheek. "You two started dating just a month after you met?"

"My cousin introduced us," Zelda smiled slightly. "We sort of… clicked right from the start."

_Who's the one cross-examining here?_ Link pouted inwardly, exchanging glances between Auru and Zelda.

"Do you know what Mr. Kaminogi majored in at Castle Town State?" Link asked. "He was a student there, correct?"

"He was," Zelda answered. "He graduated with my cousin. He was a law major, actually. He was studying to be a defense attorney. He got his badge a month before he graduated. He graduated at the top of the students in Castle Town State's law department students. He was quite the law prodigy, according to his professors."

Link heard Ganondorf scoff at that. He looked at him from the corner of his eye and raised an eyebrow, but he shrugged it off. _He's probably just bitter, since _he's_ the prodigy, as they say._

_I don't see any connections to the trial…_ Link thought._ But I know that it is somehow. I just need to press for more information._

"Has he ever been in court?"

Zelda looked at Link questioningly. "Say again?"

"Mr. Kaminogi," he nodded his chin. "Has he ever made an appearance in court?"

"Not to my knowledge," she shook her head. "…Oh! I'm sorry! Yes, he has," she added quickly. "He's been in court only once. At least that's the only time I know about, anyway."

"Do you know the outcome of that case?" Link asked again.

"He told me he lost the trial," she frowned slightly. "It was a minor case, and the charge of his client wasn't very severe. But he lost the trial, unfortunately. That's all I know about it, I'm afraid."

Link nodded slowly. _Kafei Kaminogi was a defense lawyer… He lost his first case, too… If he was such a law prodigy, why did he lose? According to Zelda, it's not like the case involved murder or any criminal offense of that sort… Like this one._

_I can't rely on just testimony_, Link shook his head. _I need _evidence_ as well. But all there is for me to work with is the sugar packet, the bottle of poison, and the autopsy! None of those relate to—_

_Ms. Inpax's notebook!_

"Your Honor," Link blurted out in a huff. "Ah, er… May I see Ms. Inpax's notebook?"

The judge looked at him curiously before nodding and handing it to the bailiff standing beside him. "I don't think you'll find much, though. The guards checked it before the trial. Nothing suspicious was in it, they said… Other than that Ms. Inpax truly does have trouble remembering things."

The bailiff took the book and handed it to Link. He accepted it with an acknowledging nod and flipped through the pages, perusing the contents.

_Maybe there's something in here_, Link said to himself. _Ms. Inpax wasn't lying about the third person, but she certainly wasn't telling the complete truth. She was hiding something, and I bet it's in here somewhere._

As Link looked through the pages, he discovered that half of the paragraphs and sentences were scribbled out with a heavy black ink that rendered what it covered almost unreadable.

_W-what is this? _Link mentally screamed, flipping through the contents with his index finger. _Half of this book is blotched out! B-but why? Does Impa have _that_ much of a bad memory that she made _all _these mistakes?_

Link slowed down as something occurred to him. _…Unless these aren't mistakes. Did…_ He look up from the corner of his eye to Ganondorf who was yawning softly. _Did Ganondorf do this? I had a feeling he was fixing the testimonies… But did Impa really see all of this, and did she really see so much that it would hurt his chances of winning the trial?_

He looked down at the book.

"_The defendant, ZH, left the table and fell into the lunch line at 12:09. Two minutes later, someone sat down at the table with the victim, KK. The person…"_ The rest of the sentence was blocked out by the black ink, but then continued. _"…had short hair, combed back a little."_

…_So she _did_ know what the person looked like!_ Link bit down on his thumbnail, bending his thumb back slightly. _Why would Ganondorf try hide this information? …Is he that obsessed with a perfect win record that he'd tamper with testimonies?_

A little halfway into the book, the writing stopped. All the pages afterwards were blank. _There's nothing left… It'd take forever to try to make out the blotches, and by that impatient look on Ganondorf's face and the expecting glances Auru's giving me… I don't think I have that kind of time right now._

Link continued to flip through the empty pages, until near the end, he stopped. There were two pages with writing on them, Impa's handwriting. And there were no censor marks of any kind, except for small scribbles where spelling errors and irregularly shaped letters were made. They were devoted all to dialogue, written in a script format, like what one would find in a play script.

Link's brow furrowed slightly as he read through it. _Impa… She heard the conversation between the victim and the third person? Even through all of the crowds? …Then again, she's a Sheikah, right? They _do_ have pretty good hearing. Sheik can even hear the most subtle mumbles under the breath._

"Ms. Harkinian," he spoke after a long silence. "How far was the table you were sitting at from the lunch line?"

"Huh?" She looked up. "Oh… Not that very far. Maybe a few steps away from where the cash register was. In fact, I think it was the closest to the lunch line… Why do you ask?"

Link was only half-listening to her; he was too busy reading the conversation.

"_**K:**__ What are you doing here?_

_**TP:**__ I wanted to congratulate you over the trial last month._

_**K:**__ For what? I lost the trial, in case you've forgotten._

_**TP:**__ I know. But you were pretty close to winning. No one's ever gotten that close to beating me in court._

_**K:**__ Quit patronizing me. Or better yet, get off your high horse and leave… And if we ever meet in court again… You'd do well to break that nasty habit of yours of rigging evidence. You know you can lose credibility as a lawyer for doing that._

_**TP:**__ You may be some law genius, but you still don't know how to play the game. "You can lose credibility as a lawyer"? That's where we got you fooled, kid. Lawyers have no credibility to begin with. We lie. We bluff. We do whatever it takes to get the court on our side. The clients you defend… No one ever knows for sure if they're truly innocent like you claim. And when it comes down to it, no one really cares. In the end, we don't care about the truth. We don't care about being merciful. All we can do—all _I _can do—is to make sure every defendant presented before me is proven guilty at all costs. It's the only way to completely ensure justice is served, to rid the world of potential threats to the people. I know it ain't exactly pretty, but that's just how it is. No one's gonna save you… That's just life."_

_**K:**__ …You're right. I may not know much about law yet; you're much more experienced than I am. But I do know that what you said is total bull. That's why you almost lost the trial. If we ever meet again in court, you'll see what I mean. Now go away. My girlfriend's coming back soon, and I don't want scum like you around her._

_**TP:**__ I'm hurt. You're not going to introduce me?_

_**K**_:_ I've told her about you. She doesn't need to meet you personally. No girl deserves that. "_

Link stared at the pages for a while, taking in the dialogue between Kafei and the third person.

He had a feeling, with that piece of evidence at his disposal, that he could uncover the identity of the real killer. But he needed help. And Zelda Harkinian was the only person who could.

"…Ganondorf Dragmire…" Link started slowly, not looking at him; he was still facing the desktop. Ganondorf raised an eyebrow, as if to ask, "What do you want?" with it.

Link looked up and stared at Ganondorf long and hard. "You killed Kafei Kaminogi!"

The prosecutor's eyes widened in shock, his gaze right on the index finger Link had pointed straight at him. Auru's look fixated on the Gerudo, and the crowd started to talk amongst themselves at Link's sudden accusation.

"What did he just say?"

"Ganondorf Dragmire?"

"The prosecutor over there?"

"That rookie attorney is trying to pin the crime on that hot guy!"

"What… did you just say?" Ganondorf cocked an eyebrow straight up and a bemused smirk fell upon his lips.

"You heard me!" Link slammed his hand against the table. "You're the killer!"

"Mr. Avalon!" Auru hit his gavel against the sound block. "What's the meaning of this wild conjecture?"

"This is no 'wild conjecture', Your Honor!" Link turned to the judge, his blue eyes full of conviction. "It's the truth! Impa Inpax overheard the conversation between the victim and that mystery third person! And she recorded it word-for-word…" He closed the notebook and dropped it against the table with a slap. "…In this notebook!"

"Then enlighten me, Avalon!" Ganondorf laughed, though he showed a slightly surprised expression when Link mentioned the notebook. "What's my motive? What reason could there possibly be for me to poison Kafei Kaminogi and frame his girlfriend for it?"

"You had every reason in the world to want Mr. Kaminogi dead!" Link asserted. "In July, you were in charge of the prosecution of a case… And the defense was headed by one Kafei Kaminogi."

Ganondorf raised an eyebrow. "Hm?"

"Like Zelda said, it was a minor charge against the defendant, but you're famous for getting a guilty verdict, no matter how minor the indictment is!" Link went on, the fire in his eyes burning stronger with each word he spoke. "Mr. Kaminogi put up a fight, one that you've never seen in a courtroom before… To the point that you almost lost the trial!"

"Objection! That's where your logic fails!" The Gerudo cut him off. "I won the trial! I had no reason to kill him!"

"Objection!" Link protested. "But the fact stands that you almost lost because of him! You preserved your perfect-win record, but it was tainted because of one flaw in your prosecution discovered by the defense attorney, Kafei Kaminogi!"

Ganondorf flinched slightly at that.

"You won the trial, to be sure," Link crossed his arms. "But you couldn't bare the fact that he almost broke your famous record. It ate way at you and it taunted you. He was the only person who even came remotely close to breaking it. You wanted revenge… You wanted revenge on the person you feared the most—Mr. Kaminogi. So you plotted to kill him—so you would never have to face him in court and risk losing again! And you framed Zelda Harkinian by putting the poison used in her purse and slipped away before she came back!"

The entire courtroom was silent. Everyone had their eyes on Ganondorf, who was leaning against the desk, his face hidden. He was looking down at the wooden desktop. Link furrowed his brow slightly as he lowered his finger. _What's wrong with him? …Is he going to confess?_

Ganondorf's shoulders started shaking. His grasp on the table loosened… He was laughing! His head shot up, and indeed, he was laughing hysterically. He was covering his mouth with his index finger as he slumped down and rested his elbow on the desk.

"M-Mr. Dragmire?" Auru stared at him in confusement. "What's so funny?"

The Gerudo quickly calmed down with an amused sigh. "…I'm sorry, Your Honor… It's just hilarious, is all."

Link's eyebrow shot up at that. "H-hilarious…?"

"How you got worked up," Ganondorf chuckled, looking straight at Link. "…How you think you have it all figured out… That I killed Kafei Kaminogi out of revenge and framed that girl over there for the poisoning. I already told you, kid—I won that trial. Yeah, I almost lost… But what matters is that in the end, I left that courtroom victorious with my perfect-win record intact. Even if I _did_ consider him a threat… There's no way I'd kill him just to make sure I wouldn't have to face him again. That's being a coward in my book. If anything… I would have done whatever it took to make sure he lived, so we'd face each other again."

Link bit down on his lip as he started to sweat. _No! I-I almost had him! He's turning everything around on me!_

"Moreover," the prosecutor leaned forward, resting his chin on his fist. "…You got proof?"

Link's eyes lit up at that. "H-huh?"

"You got proof that I truly had a grudge against Kaminogi? That I despised him so much that it drove me to the point of murder?"

The blonde stared at him intently. _Do I have the proof? Can I convince everyone that it was really Ganondorf Dragmire who plotted this whole thing?_

_...Hell yeah, I can._

"…I don't have the proof." Link finally said. Ganondorf smirked triumphantly at that. But a sly grin appeared on the blonde's face. "...The defendant does."

Everyone in the room gasped and turned to Zelda, who was gripping both sides of the lectern.

"Zelda Harkinian herself is the proof," Link explained. "…Or should I say… her testimony is."

Ganondorf snapped his gaze over to Zelda, staring at her with wide eyes. Sweat slowly formed on his brow.

"Ms. Harkinian," Link turned to her. "The victim once told you that he and Mr. Dragmire weren't on good terms with each other, correct?"

Zelda stared at him and glanced at Ganondorf, whose gaze was in turn locked on her.

_She's the key to ending this trial_, Link inhaled deeply, waited a second, and let the breath go. _With just one three-letter word she can end this trial. She can prove her own innocence, and prove Ganondorf guilty with just one word._

Zelda opened her mouth to speak—

"OBJECTION!"

Everyone in the courtroom whirled around to face the source of the voice—Ganondorf Dragmire.

"Stop right there!" The Gerudo yelled.

"What is it, Mr. Dragmire?" Auru turned to him.

"I call…" He lowered his finger and put his hand in the pocket of his slacks. "…A five-minute recess."

Link's jaw dropped open in disbelief. "And you're accusing _me_ of prolonging the inevitable?"

"Your Honor?" Ganondorf turned to Auru. "Are five measly minutes going to kill anyone?"

Auru looked at him for a moment before he nodded slightly. "This court will resume after a quick five-minute break."

_You can't be serious!_ Link kicked and thrashed in his head as Auru hit his gavel against the sound block.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

September 2, 2002; 1:12 PM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Court of the Heavenly Goddesses—Defendant Lobby 5

Link slumped down onto the leather sofa in a bitter huff, impatiently tapping his finger against the armrest to his right.

"I can't believe him!" He heaved, crossing his left leg over his right. He shook his head and tapped faster. "He's guilty… I was so damn close—"

He stopped when he felt a hand on his left shoulder. He turned to the left and saw Zelda sitting next to him, who had her right hand on his shoulder. He felt her squeeze it softly in an attempt to calm him down.

"Relax, Link," she smiled slightly. "…It's not like you lost. It's not like you weren't able to clear my name… He probably just called the recess to stall. He's probably going to try turn it around. But you already won, right? …We already won?"

He stared at her for a moment, but he softened up and returned her smile. "…Yeah. Mr. Kaminogi… He told you about Ganondorf, right?"

"He did," she nodded. "He told me that Ganondorf was the prosecutor in his first trial. There was one major flaw in his case that would have resulted in Mr. Dragmire's loss, but he turned it around at the last second, and Kafei ended up losing the case. Kafei knew that Ganondorf had a grudge against him for tainting that record of his, but I didn't know just how much it bothered him… I would have told you earlier if I knew things were going to end up like this. Him being the prosecutor in this case just came to me as a coincidence."

"It's alright," Link shook his head and he rubbed his chin, his slight stubble prickling against his palm. "There's no point in trying to turn it around this time. We just need to hear your last testimony—what you just told me—and the trial is over."

She nodded and she looked forward, letting go of his shoulder and placing her hands in her lap, fiddling with the hem of her skirt. Link continued to rub his chin and his jawline, which was lined with stubble.

She couldn't help but smile as she recalled the past events in the courtroom. She had to admit that how his sharp three-piece suit was, how convicted his voice was, and how determined he was to get his points across in that arrestingly deep, yet somehow boyish voice, made him look and sound all the more attractive.

Zelda stole glances of Link, looking past his perfectly messy hair, and saw a gleam of silver on his earlobe. It was a tiny silver hoop earring. To be honest, Zelda wasn't very attracted to men who had such piercings, but she thought that it somehow suited him. Men like Link and Ganondorf—who had two piercings on his left ear—she had to admit could pull off the earring look.

Zelda surreptitiously watched Link as they waited in silence. _He's really good looking_, she thought to himself. _Is he really twenty-seven? He looks younger… Maybe around Kafei's age. But that unshaven thing and the slightly messy hair he has going on gives him that older persuasion…_

Before she knew it, her hand was on his cheek, her delicate fingers pressed gently against his stubble. Link's back arched off the sofa at her touch; he looked at her from the corner of his eye before turning his head all the way.

"…Z-Zelda?" He whispered dumbly with an eyebrow raised all the way up.

It didn't register in Zelda's mind that she even touched him until a few seconds after he spoke. She gasped and quickly withdrew her hand, as if she had just touched the side of a boiling pot of water.

"A-ah!" She gasped again. "I-I'm sorry! …It was just your… your stubble…"

His brow knit slightly at that. He slowly lifted his hand to rub his jaw from ear to ear. _…Should I have shaved this morning?_

She blushed softly and turned away, biting on her lower lip. Suddenly she shot up from her seat and dusted herself off. "I-I'm going to the restroom really quick."

Link uncrossed his legs and started to get up from his seat. "B-but the trial is going to start in a few minutes!"

"It'll be really quick," she assured him, motioning for him to sit still. "I just need to freshen myself up. I'll be back in time."

And before he could say anything else, she walked out of the room, leaving a slightly confused Link behind. A few moments later, though, the doors opened again. It was Zelda.

"Just so you know," she said, tucking a few loose strands from her ponytail behind her ear. "I think you look better with it than you would without it… Your stubble, I mean."

And with that, she left the room.

_What was that about?_ He cocked an eyebrow at the door Zelda exited through. He eased himself and reclined back into the sofa and buried the back of his head into the sofa, his legs spread open. He slowly lifted his left hand and ran it against the area of his left jaw Zelda touched.

"…I look better with it, huh?" He smiled to himself as he ran the same hand through his tousled hair.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

September 2, 2002; 1:15 PM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Court of the Heavenly Goddesses—Courtroom 5

Link checked his wristwatch and looked to the exit. _Where's Zelda? She said she'd be back before the trial resumes._

The doors opened, but instead of Zelda, it was just Ganondorf. Link frowned slightly and stood up on his tip-toes, trying to look past him to see if Zelda was following. But there was no one.

"The trial for Zelda Harkinian is once again in session," Auru proclaimed, hitting his gavel once as Ganondorf stood behind the prosecution's bench. Auru looked around the courtroom a few times and turned to Link. "…Where is Ms. Harkinian?"

"She said she was in the restroom," Link replied, somewhat impatiently. "…I can go check and bring her back… Ah, may I, Your Honor?"

Auru nodded and motioned his hand in a shooing manner. "Be swift."

Link nodded and quickly made his way out of the courtroom.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

September 2, 2002; 1:17 PM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Court of the Heavenly Goddesses—Second Floor Hallways

"Zelda?" Link called out. His voice echoed off the walls of the empty hallway. He walked past painting after painting, door after door. "Zelda? Where are you?"

He sharply turned a corner and walked down yet another hallway. He picked up his pace and moved into a slow jog, looking past the numbers on the doors. They were all offices. Some were elevator doors. He slowed down until he reached a pair of doors, one with a Men's Restroom sign on one, and a Women's Restroom sign on the other.

He stopped in front of the women's restroom door and knocked on it softly. "Zelda? Zelda, are you in here? The trial is back on …Zelda?" He knocked on it harder, the sound echoing. "Zelda!"

He checked down both ends of the long hallway. No one was there. He turned back to the door, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open.

Before him was Zelda Harkinian, motionlessly lying on the floor.

"Zelda!" He cried, running over to her side. He picked up her head and rested it on his lap. She looked unconscious, peaceful.

"Zelda!" He whispered to her, gently shaking her. He picked up her left hand and he pressed his index and middle fingers to her wrist, over the veins.

No pulse.

He turned pale and his heart skipped a beat. He let her wrist slump down onto her lap and he pressed his ear against her chest, over her heart.

No heartbeat.

…_N-no!_ Link shook his head, his eyes wide with horror. "Z-Zelda! No! No, I was so close! …Y-you were innocent! I was going to clear your name!"

No response.

He swallowed deeply before throwing his head back, facing the white overhead lights.

"…NOOOOO!"

**- - - - - - - - - -**

_That's how my first… and last trial played out. It spiraled out of control, into a horrible twist of events._

_I let Zelda Harkinian slip out of my grasp… Her not guilty verdict was right there in front of us… in front of me… And I shamefully let it go._

_The trial ended right after Zelda was pronounced dead. How she died? None of us know. The autopsy report that was released afterwards was unable to determine the cause of death. Her heart just stop beating… Just like that. I'll never know how that happened. I don't think any of us will._

_But what I do know… I let _him_ go._

_Ganondorf Dragmire… the true criminal. Despite all my hard work in trying to convince the court and the judge that it was him that killed Kafei Kaminogi… None of it held water, because I was missing the final piece to the puzzle—Zelda's final, unspoken testimony._

_As a result, Ganondorf walked out of the courtroom that day with a cold, sinister smirk on his face, completely unfazed by my otherwise solid defense and Zelda's sudden, unexplained death._

_My first trial… ended with the loss of two innocent lives. Kafei Kaminogi, and his girlfriend, Zelda Harkinian. I left that courthouse in shame, and I retired my attorney's badge. I went back to school… to pursue my second greatest passion: history. It took me years until I finally got to where I wanted to be. And here I am, a successful history professor, with a full career ahead of me. I thought I had left my life in law behind me, locked up in the court records, so I never had to look at it ever again._

_That is, until _she_ appeared._

_Marin Tarin. A woman with a face, voice… and a murder charge that were exactly like that of Zelda Harkinian…_

_Zelda… It was because of her death, that I stopped practicing law._

_But it was also because of her… that every morning, I make sure to leave just the slightest bit of stubble on my face._

* * *

So ends chapter four and the flashback to Link's first trial. Why the hell did Auru allow that recess? I don't know. Welcome to my mind. And what makes sense in my mind won't always make sense out here. But at least we got just the slightest hint of Zelink going on, which will be the last time you see it for quite a while.

I leave for the airport in four hours. Bags are all packed, and I'm ready to go! I'll try to put up chapter five Sunday night when I come back. Maybe not. I'm indecisive like that.

_Enjoy Life and Smile_.

* * *


	5. I Plead the Fifth

* * *

I'm back from Washington! Japan Bowl was hella fun. We didn't make the finals, but we did place pretty high. Highlights of the trip: sitting right next to Maki Kaji, the creator of sudoku! I didn't even know it was him I was talking to until they called him up to the stage for his speech, and I was in total seizure mode. And meeting Sho Asano, who is THE MOST hardcore shamisen player on the planet... Three-time consecutive shamisen champion 2004-2007! I'm in a picture on his blog! **asano-sho.up.seesaa(dot)net(slash)image****(slash)****asano-sho-2008-03-23T06:53:15-1(dot)jpg **I'm all the way on the far right! I love him. Congratulations to Lynbrook High, Stuyvesant High, Philips Andover, and the Harker School for making the championships.

Here's the link to my Japan Bowl journal: **sirjoshizzle(dot)blogspot(dot)com(slash)2008(slash)03(slash)japan-bowl-chronicles(dot)html**

* * *

September 3, 2008; 9:34 AM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Vantage Pointe Condominiums, Apartment 201

Link stood in front of the mirror that occupied the entire wall of his bathroom. His tan towel clung to his waist loosely as he ran his electric hair trimmer across his jaw line. His eyes followed the vibrating blade closely as it cut through the beard of shaving cream, making sure he didn't nick himself anywhere.

_Zelda… She's really the only reason why I spent the 2,750 rupees for a hair trimmer, and not use a razor like normal guys_, Link smirked to himself, looking at himself in the eye through his reflection. _I guess it's just my way of mourning, if that makes sense… Some people wear a certain color, others wear a necklace in remembrance… I honor her complement by making sure my face isn't totally shaved clean._

He turned off the trimmer and ran the blade under the water to wash off the remnants of the shaving cream, and washed his face off, running his hand across his cheeks a few times before finally deciding that he was satisfied. He turned off the faucet and walked out of the bathroom and into his room as he got ready to change into some clothes.

He picked out a simple pair of khaki slacks and a white long-sleeved dress shirt, but didn't bother with a necktie; he left the top few buttons casually undone. He styled his almost dry hair in the mirror, getting it into its normal messy yet presentable state. He picked up his cell phone from the ground, which had been charging overnight next to his futon. He packed his laptop and the papers given to him by Shad into his laptop case and was about to walk out the door before he stopped himself. He turned around to his dresser, where his attorney's badge was resting inside its silk-lined case.

_Should I wear it?_ He thought to himself. He figured he should, since it was most likely going to be needed to get closer to the scene of the crime, which he planned to examine. He adjusted the strap of his laptop case, which he wore like a messenger bag, and walked over to the case and delicately took out the badge, like how a jeweler examined a prized diamond. He stepped in front of the mirror and pinned it on the strap that crossed his torso, straightening it out a bit, and finally walked out of his room. He grabbed his car keys off the key holder hanging next to the door and walked out of the apartment.

September 3, 2008; 9:49 AM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
District Detention Center, Visitor's Room 6

"Here you are, Mr. Avalon."

Link followed the security guard to a room that was empty aside from a desk and a single chair against the right wall. In front of it was a thick, paneless glass window with a hole at the bottom of it.

"Ms. Tarin will be with you momentarily," the man said to the blonde.

"Thank you," Link smiled in acknowledgement, bowing his head slightly. The guard rendered the gesture in reply and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

He sat down on the chair, rested his left ankle on his right thigh and set his laptop case next to the seat as he waited patiently for Marin to arrive.

…_Oh, I better put my phone on vibrate, just in case_, Link said to himself as he reached into his back pocket. He pulled out his phone and flicked the switch so that the phone was on silent, and slipped it back into his left back pocket.

On the other side of the window, he could see to the right a lone security guard standing vigil next to the only exit. On the opposite wall was a barred window near the ceiling, letting a small amount of light to pour in, and a security camera next to it, positioned so that it was facing the seat on the other side of the window.

_He looks pretty bored_, Link smiled to himself as he glanced at the guard, who had his hands clasped behing his back in an at ease position. He watched him yawn softly to himself.

_I wonder how much these guys pay him to do a job like that?_

The door next to the guard opened slightly with a creak, startling him somewhat. He turned to the door, seeing who it was that was coming in, and sure enough, it was Marin Tarin. He smiled slightly at her, nodding her way. She returned the silent greeting with a quick bow and a smile of her own before catching eye of Link. The blonde straightened up in his seat and lifted his left leg off his right as she pulled her chair open and sat down, slightly scooting into the desk.

"Good morning, Ms. Tarin," Link smiled quickly, pulling himself into the desk to get closer to her.

"Good morning, professor," she smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"…Ah, 'Mr. Avalon' is fine," he said. She looked at him for a second, and he explained, "I'm not your teacher right now; I'm your lawyer, remember?"

She chuckled softly to herself before nodding. "Right, I'll remember that."

Link returned her quick smile with one of his own and reached into his laptop case for a pencil and a notepad. "If you don't mind, Ms. Tarin, I'd like to ask you a few questions… That alright?"

"Yes," she nodded.

He glanced up from his blank paper to Marin. The more he looked at her, the more of Zelda he saw.

"I know I asked you this before… Marin," he spoke and looked up at her. "…But I really feel that we've met before."

She raised an eyebrow slightly at that. "Really? …I'm sorry, Mr. Avalon, but you probably must be imagining things. Like I said yesterday, this is my first time in Hyrule… In fact, I've never left Koholint up until recently when I transferred here."

He stopped writing at that. _When she 'transferred'?_

"Why did you transfer schools, Ms. Tarin?" He asked. "I've never been personally, but I'm positive Koholint Island has quite a few prestigious universities."

"You're right," she replied after a moment. "But Hyrule U. is considered to be the best in the world in many fields of study… One of them is journalism, and that's what I'm majoring in… Plus, my professors at Tal Tal U. recommended that I come here to Hyrule to further my studies… I was going to return to Koholint after I get my degree… But as you can see, that's not looking entirely possible at the moment."

He could sense a tinge of humor in her voice. The fact that she was trying to lighten the mood sent chills down his spine; when he first met Zelda in the detention center she was held in, she was just as calm as Marin was.

"I… I see…" Link nodded slowly before deciding to quickly change the subject. "Can you tell me about the day of the crime?"

"Alright…" She answered. "I was registering for the new school year that day. Raven came with me."

"Raven…" Link repeated slowly. "…That would be Raven Ambi, right? The victim in this case?"

"Yes," she nodded. "Raven Ambi… He was my boyfriend."

_That's right_, Link bit down on the top of his pen. _Raven Ambi… He was in a relationship with Marin… From what I read last night, the two started dating only a week before the murder…_

"Anyway," Marin said. "When I finished the registration process, we decided to go to the cafeteria for lunch. Unfortunately, we came during peak hours, so the place was pretty crowded. We took a seat in the middle of the room. I left to get us lunch, because Raven was doing some paperwork. When I came back, we started eating… All of a sudden he started choking… That's when he died."

Link nodded slowly, scribbing down on the paper as she explained the scene to him.

"_Paperwork"? What does that mean?_

"What was this, 'paperwork' Mr. Ambi was doing?" Link asked.

"Some legal work," she told him. "He worked at a law firm."

He froze at that.

…Another_ lawyer?_

"A prosecutor's office, to be specific," she added. "He was a prosecutor."

"…A prosecutor, you say?" He spoke after a silence.

She nodded in reply.

Link took a moment to write that down before continuing. "…Can you… tell me about your life before you moved here? Back in Koholint?"

"…Sure," she replied, hesitating a bit before answering. "I was born in Mabe Village. My mother died when I was little, and my father was in the Navy, so he was always deployed; I spent a majority of my childhood living with relatives… Grandparents, aunts, uncles…"

"Did you have any siblings?" Link asked, not looking up from his paper. "Or were you an only child?"

"No," she shook her head. "I had a sister… But she's not with us. She died."

"…I'm sorry to hear that," Link smiled weakly as he wrote. Marin returned the gesture with a thankful nod. But before he could finish the sentence he was writing, Link's hand froze.

"…_She's not with us. She died…"_

_Didn't Zelda…_ Link's lips trembled. _Didn't she have a sister?_

A rush of blood shot to Link's head as the moment from the courtroom lounge before the trial came back to mind.

"…_Judging from your voice," Link smiled softly. "I thought you were her for a moment… Your sister, I mean. You two sound the same."_

"_I'm not surprised," she laughed. "We're twins."_

_His brow shot up at that. "…Twins, huh?"_

"_Yes," she nodded. "We're identical. Very few people can tell us apart at first glance. Even then, it takes a while for people to remember which one of us is who."_

Link slowly looked back up at Marin with wide eyes. _Zelda's sister… She never did show up to the trial that day… A-ah! C-can't it be…!?_

"Ms. Tarin," Link's voice wavered nervously. His voice was coarse as his throat and mouth dried. "…What was your sister's name?"

Marin gasped at that. "H-huh? M… M-my sister?"

She didn't answer. She swallowed hard, as clearly defined by the movement of her throat muscles. Her brow furrowed slightly. Beneath the table, she fiddled nervously with her skirt, digging her nails through the fabric.

Link didn't take his eyes off her for a second. She saw the nervousness in her eyes. The way her lip quivered when she opened her mouth to speak, but closed it just moments after.

_What's taking so long for her to answer?_ Link kicked in his head. _All I asked was her sister's name… Unless… Is she really related to Zelda? …No wonder she looked so familiar! And that fact that Zelda had a twin… That proves it right there! There's no mistaking it! Marin's real name… is Marin Harkinian!_

"…Ms. Tarin?" Link tilted his head to the side. "Please answer the question. What was the name of your sister?"

Her mouth opened slightly. "M-my sister's… name?"

Link sighed in slight annoyance at her continued stalling, but he quickly calmed himself down, taking in a few deep breaths. "Yes, Ms. Tarin. Her name. That's all I want to know."

Marin looked down at her lap, where her thumbs twiddled in anxiousness. Her bangs hung in front of her eyes, obscuring her face from Link's view. "My sister's name…"

He leaned forward, trying to get a better view of her. He raised his eyebrow in an expecting manner.

She looked back up and stared Link straight in the eye.

"…Is none of your business."

Link's breath hitched in his chest and his back arched slightly at the sharpness of her voice. _A-are you serious!?_ His teeth clenched tightly at her cold answer. _Why can't she tell me!?_

"I'm sorry, Mr. Avalon," Marin shook her head. "But I'll tell you everything I know about my sister… If you can prove to me how her identity relates to my case."

The attorney flinched at that.

"Can you prove to me that she's relevant to Raven's murder?" She asked him with a serious face.

"…N-no," Link murmured softly, his brow furrowed inwards.

"Then I'm afraid that, as you lawyers say…" She smiled kindly and tilted her head to the side. "I plead the fifth."

Link didn't know what to say. He couldn't force her to tell him. It was as she said: she had the right to her silence. And even if she didn't, she was very adamant about proof that her sister's name was somehow tied to the murder, which he clearly didn't have.

He had no choice but to give up.

"…I see then," he spoke after a short silence. "But if I manage to do so… You'll tell me? All you know about her? And everything I want to know?"

"You have my word," she nodded. "Anything I know, and everything you want to know."

"…Alright then," he sighed. "I think I'm done here… for now. I'll be back later today, just to check up on you."

"Okay," she said, getting up from her seat. "Until then, Mr. Avalon." She bowed slightly and without another word, left the room, leaving Link alone on the other side of the glass.

_She's related to Zelda… somehow_, Link cursed in his head as he packed his notebook into his laptop case. He got up and put on the strap before pushing his chair in.

_And I'll prove it_.

* * *

By far the shortest chapter of the eight that I have written out. I think this is as short as they're gonna get, though.

Oh yeah, 2750 rupees is equivalent to around USD 30 dollars. If you've read AWoL, the rupee is equal to the Japanese yen. Just clearing that up.

_Enjoy Life and Smile._

* * *


	6. Detective Bellum

* * *

For those who don't know, Raven is a manga-only character from the _Oracle_ manga.

Another question that's been raised a few times: will Link have an assistant, like how Phoenix had Maya and Pearl and Apollo has Trucy? Unfortunately, no he will not. I just couldn't find someone who could fill in Maya/Pearl/Trucy's role, and still be relevant to the story. I was close to giving Sheik that role, but I decided against it. I guess Marin is the sidekick, at least during court chapters. Also, Link will not have a mentor, like Phoenix had Mia, Mia had Diego, and Apollo has Phoenix. Though Shad comes pretty close, I suppose.

Lastly, will Link have something like Phoenix's magatama or Apollo's bracelet? Like, will the Triforce of Courage help him find psyche-locks or "perceive" the truth or whatever? No, he will not. I think Link's lack of an assistant, mentor and a special item are the three top deviations from _Phoenix Wright_. Just clearing that up.

But there WILL be a detective, like Gumshoe or Ema (quick poll for the PW/AJ heads like me: Gumshoe or Ema?), and this is the first chapter where we get to meet him! Though that's kind of obvious by the chapter title. I personally think he makes the perfect detective, which is why I chose him. What about you?

* * *

September 3, 2008; 10:14 AM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Hyrule University, Light Campus—Ordona Hall, Second Floor Hallway

"Good morning, Mr. Avalon!"

Link beamed brightly at the sight of Colin Talo, a freshman who sat in the front of his class. He was walking down the stairs, while Link was headed up.

"Mornin' Colin," Link nodded, stopping in the middle of the staircase. He casually put a hand in his pocket while another gripped the strap of his laptop case. "Where are you headed this morning?"

"I'm gonna grab a quick breakfast at that Labrynnian café off campus then head back to my dorm," Colin replied. "I don't have any morning classes today."

"What about the Ordona cafeteria?" Link raised an eyebrow. He pointed up the stairs, where the Ordona cafeteria was located.

"It's off limits to everyone except police personnel," he shrugged in reply. "Since it was where the murder took place and all. And the other cafeterias are a few ways away from here… It's just quicker to go to that café."

The professor frowned slightly at that. _Guess it'll be harder to get in than I thought_.

"I see," Link rubbed his chin. "Well, I'll see you later, Colin."

"I'll see you in class today," Colin smiled.

"Actually," Link stopped him. "I won't be in class for a few days… I have a few personal matters to take care of."

"…Oh," Colin frowned a little bit. "Well, I'll see you when I see you."

Link chuckled softly and pat him on the back as he continued to walk up the stairs. "Later, Colin."

As he reached the top of the flight of stairs, Link turned to the right and down the hall towards Ordona Cafeteria. As he progressed down the wide corridor, the number of men in police uniforms increased. To the right of the hall was an open area where light poured in, as right next to the cafeteria was one of the campus' many quad areas. The sound of students talking and laughing grew louder, as well as the rapid rapping of footsteps from inside the cafeteria.

"C'mon!" A gruff voice from the cafeteria yelled in a scolding voice. "No lollygaggin'! You! Git back t'work!"

_Who's that?_ Link raised his eyebrow slightly. At the double doors of the cafeteria entrance was a man standing in the middle of the disabled automatic sliding doors. His back was turned to Link, so only his shoulder length brown hair and his tan trench coat was visibile to him.

Link cleared his throat softly before he spoke. "Excuse me…"

"…Huh?" The man looked over his shoulder with a cocked eyebrow before turning all the way to face the blonde. He had long thin eyebrows that furrowed in what was almost a scowl, and a thin moustache and small beard to match. The contours of his slightly emaciated face were clearly defined.

"Who're you?" The tall man asked Link, eyeing him with his emerald green eyes.

"Link Avalon," Link replied.

"Look… Avalon," the man sighed. "We're conductin' some imporant investigations in this here café. Sorry, but I can't let ya in."

Link moved his lower lip to the side, tilting his head slightly. _Didn't think it'd be that easy_.

"...W-whoa!" The man's brow shot up. "Wait a minute there!'

The brunette stuck his arm out in front of Link before he could walk away. The blonde turned to him with a questioning look. "Yeah?"

"That right there…" He reached for Link's chest and touched his attorney's badge between his index finger and thumb. He tilted it upwards slightly so he could get a better look at it. "…That an attorney's badge?"

"Yes it is," Link nodded.

The man gave him an uncertain look, staring him in the eye. "You the guy handlin' this case's defense? You that girl Tarin's lawyer?"

_So he knows about Marin?_ "Yeah, I am," Link nodded.

The man looked behind him to the interior of the cafeteria, where police officers and detectives were turning the place upside down in their search. He turned back to Link and sighed. "…Then I guess it's okay… Avalon, was it? Yeah, you can come in."

Link drew his head back in slightly, raising his brow. "…You sure that's alright?"

"No problem," he gave Link an assuring grin. "I'm the detective in charge a' this case. Name's Bellum. Linebeck Bellum. Good ta meet ya, pal!"

Link returned the smile and shook his hand. _Linebeck, huh? Pretty odd name_.

"Y'know," Linebeck furrowed his brow at him. "Ya don't look so familiar… Haven't seen ya around lately. You a new lawyer?"

"…Yeah, I guess you can say that," Link nodded. "I've been in court once before. But I haven't done this in a while."

Linebeck nodded slowly. "Ah, I see. Anyways, you can go in, pal. Special permission from me. Just don't go int'rferin' with my boys' work."

_Special permission…_ Link smiled to himself. _He just made that sound kinda creepy._

"Thank you Linebe—"

"That's 'Detective Bellum' to you, Avalon!" Linebeck scowled slightly. "Or 'Detective Linebeck'."

_Pretty sensitive_, Link mused. _Better keep that in mind_.

"…So Avalon," Linebeck spoke after a moment as Link surveyed the area. The entire cafeteria was as if it had yet to open; the kitchen behind the counters was spotless, and all the chairs were upside down on top of the table tops. The only thing about the room that stuck out was a table near the middle of the room. It was surrounded by yellow police lines, and policemen were surrounding it like flies to a carcass.

"Ya know 'bout the trial?"

"Sure do," Link nodded. "I actually just finished talking to Ms. Tarin before I got here."

"Pretty good," the brunette nodded in approval. "Real thorough for a rookie lawyer."

…_I'd rather not be called 'rookie', Detective…_ Link grumbled in the back of his head.

"Oh, that reminds me…" Link stopped to turn to the detective. "Did you by any chance perform an autopsy on the victim?"

"Hey!" Linebeck snapped. "Don't go callin' my buddy the 'victim!'"

_So he knew Mr. Ambi personally?_

"S-sorry about that…" Link sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "But… You knew him? Mr. Ambi?"

"Sure did," Linebeck smirked. "Knew the man real good. Shame his girlfriend did 'em in… Still can't believe a beauty like her's a murderer…"

_She is not!_ "…But about the autopsy…"

"Oh," Linebeck nodded. "Yeah, we did one a couple 'o days ago." He saw the look on Link's face and a smirk creeped on his lips. "Why? Wanna see the results?"

The blonde smiled slightly and nodded. "If I can, that is."

"Sure thing, pal," Linebeck reached into his trench coat and pulled out a folded up stapled packet. "You can have my copy."

"Thank you, Detective." Link nodded gratefully, accepting the papers and putting them inside his laptop case. _I'll look through this tonight_.

"Can you tell me a little bit about Mr. Ambi?" Link asked him. "I got a bit of information from Ms. Tarin already, but I was hoping you would know more."

"Sure, pal. Whaddya already know 'bout Raven?"

"I know he was a prosecutor…" Link shrugged. "But that's about it."

"Yeah, that's right," Linebeck nodded. "Pretty good prosecutor he was. Sent shivers down my spine everytime he shot down his opponent's contradictions! Yeah, he was a damn good one. 'Specially considerin' his mentor."

Link raised an eyebrow at that. _…Mentor?_

"…About Mr. Ambi's mentor…" Link started slowly.

"Oh yeah!" Linebeck grinned ear to ear. "Lookin' forward to that trial tomorrow! Hate to say it, pal, but you ain't gonna win."

The blonde looked at him questioningly. "Why do you say that?"

"Because he's leadin' the prosecution!"

"'He'?"

"Raven's mentor!" Linebeck huffed with a beam. "Ganondorf Dragmire."

Link froze at the mention of that name. Goosebumps prickled his skin, and the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck shot up.

"…Ganondorf," Link whispered softly.

"The one and only," Linebeck nodded. The look on Link's face caused the brunette's grin to slowly fade. "…You _do_ know him, don't ya?"

"…All too well," Link nodded bitterly. _Forges evidence... Rigs testimony… And most of all, he killed Kafei. _Now_ I know for sure that this whole case is no coincidence… Wait, he _mentored_ Raven Ambi…? Goddesses, I can only imagine the monster Ganondorf turned him into_.

Link's train of thought was interrupted by a low buzzing noise coming from Linebeck's coat. He turned to the detective and raised his eyebrow slightly.

"Oh," the brunette reached into the inside breast pocket of his jacket and pulled out a black vibrating flip phone. "'Scuse me, Avalon, would ya? Gotta take this call."

"Sure," Link nodded. Linebeck flipped his phone open with his thumb and walked away. "Bellum here… Yeah, about that…"

Link looked over to the table surrounded by police lines, and saw that there weren't any detectives or policemen there. He looked around, and saw some of the men lounging around at the other tables over their thermoses filled with coffee, while the rest were outside in the quad talking and laughing over a few cigarettes. Link took the opportunity to examine the crime scene up closer and see what clues he could gather.

The scene looked like it was frozen in time. Nothing looked like it was moved even an inch—the chairs, the bowls of barely-touched food, even the coffee that killed Raven.

Link reached into his back pocket for his cell phone and turned on its built-in camera. He walked around the police line, snapping photos of the table, zooming in occasionally to get a better view. He was sure not to cross the lines, for fear of getting a scolding from Linebeck or someone else.

_So this is where Marin and Raven were when he died?_ Link mused to himself as he reviewed the photos he took, deleting the ones that came out blurry or didn't capture the scene sufficiently.

He bent down to get a look under the table. A chopstick, a few grains of rice, and small bits of chicken were scattered around the chair Raven sat at that day. Link couldn't help but smile; he personally thought that if they were to remove anything from the scene, it'd be the now stale and most likely rotten food.

He looked forward, and saw a folded paper on the ground, under the seat that was Marin's. Curiosity getting the better of him, he walked to the other side where it was and knelt before it.

_Hmm… You think they would have taken something like that in…_ Link thought to himself as he reached past the police line and took the paper in his hands. He unfolded it and scanned over the print on it.

_**Beedle's Flowers, Gifts and Sundries**_

_BOMBFLWRS—DOMES…. 2690 RP_

_Total… 2690 RP_

_Thank you for patronage!_

_Try our automatic cashier! Buy/sell by pressing C!_

_092908 08:21a_

Link examined the date at the bottom. _September 29__th__… That's the day of the murder, alright…_ _So sometime that morning, she stopped by a shop to buy some flowers._

He ran through it again. _Nothing suspicious about this receipt, so I guess I can understand why it wasn't considered evidence._

Link proceeded to put it in his pocket, since he figure it wasn't needed by the police, but all of a sudden he froze. He whipped it back out of his pocket and looked over it again, this time reading it much more closely.

…_Bomb flowers_, Link said in his head. _When I went to visit Zelda yesterday…_

"_Hey," Link smiled sadly. "Long time, no see..."_

_He looked down at the plaque. On the right was a hole filled with water for flowers, and on the left was a color-picture of her._

_But there were flowers already in the hole, recently watered and freshly cut._

_That's odd, Link raised an eyebrow, staring at the bouquet of domesticated bomb flowers. Who brought these?_

…_There were bomb flowers already there!_ Link's eyes widened. His breath hitched in his chest. His heartbeat hastened. _If Marin claims to have not known anyone in this country like she says, why would she have any reason to buy flowers for anyone? And the time I found the flowers at Zelda's grave and the time on this receipt… It all comes together!_

_Marin… She's… She's Zelda's…_

"Whatcha doin'?"

"A-agh!" The sudden voice almost knocked Link forward, but he broke his fall by pushing his hand against the ground in front of him. He whirled around and saw Linebeck's questioning and amused face inches away from him.

"D-don't sneak up on me like that!" Link snapped at the detective, getting up to his feet and wiping his hand clean of dust.

The brunette just chuckled with a smirk. "Sorry 'bout that. So what were ya doin' on the ground like that?"

Before Link could say anything, Linebeck took the receipt from his hand and perused it quickly. "…Oh, this thing? Yeah. When we saw it on the ground, we got excited…" He smiled slightly. "'Hey chief, lookit this!' Thought it was some all-important clue, but it just turned out to be some receipt from a flower shop."

He folded it back in half and creased it a few times before returning it to Link. "You can have that if ya want. I was gonna throw it, but then we got this policy on leavin' the scene of a crime as untouched as possible… Guess it's okay for you to take it. Not like it's gonna prove anything in court…"

"…Thanks," Link nodded, quickly stuffing it in his pocket. _Good thing you didn't, Detective… This is a much more important clue than you think_.

"No prob," Linebeck shrugged. "So you need anythin' else, Avalon?"

"I think I'm done here for now," the blonde replied. He looked at his watch. It was 11:07 AM. "I promised Ms. Tarin I'd check up on her again."

"Ah, I gotcha," Linebeck nodded. "I'll see ya at the trial tomorrow, then… Oh yeah, on yer way out, throw this away for me, would ya?"

He handed Link a crumpled piece of paper from out of his coat pocket.

"What's this?" Link raised an eyebrow, uncrumpling it, to find out that it had been folded into fourths.

"Some glasses prescription or something," Linebeck shrugged. "It don't seem to be a piece of evidence. I know Raven didn't wear glasses, and that Tarin girl doesn't have any vision problems based on the investigation we've conducted.

"Alright," Link said. He bowed his head slightly and walked out of the cafeteria. As he walked across the quad, Marin was on his mind. He reached into his pocket to put the prescription in it, and pulled the receipt out, looking at the unfolded paper in his right hand.

_It's time to pay Ms. Marin "Tarin" a visit_.

* * *

2690 rupees equals about 27 US dollars. And did you get the "buy/sell by pressing C" part? :D

Like I said, the investigation chapters are noticeably shorter than court chapters. But rest assured that we'll be going to court in two chapters, you hear? And the next chapter I personally like. When will that be up? Maybe Friday or Saturday.

And keep those _Brawl_ codes coming! It's fun playing with you all. Some of you are too good for me. :p

_Enjoy Life and Smile._

* * *


	7. Tarin Genealogy

* * *

Woo, chapter seven! Some of you have already read part of this chapter on my blog. You know, from the chapter seven excerpt. Yeah, that's taken from here. Obviously.

* * *

September 3, 2008; 11:46 AM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
District Detention Center, Visitor's Room 6

"Mr. Avalon," Marin smiled softly as she took a seat in front of him. "I didn't expect you to come back so soon… I thought 'later today' meant sometime this afternoon."

Link simply returned the smile and pulled up a bag of take out from a restaurant named Pho' King from his lap onto the table. "I hope you haven't eaten yet, Ms… Tarin." He looked up from the corner of his eyes, and saw her staring questioningly at the decoratively designed plastic bag. "I stopped by a restaurant to pick up some food so we could eat together."

"How nice," Marin giggled softly.

Link took out two black and red lacquered lunch boxes with matching pairs of chopsticks. He pushed the box through the hole in the glass, which she kindly accepted. He also took out two styrofoam cups, one of which he also gave to Marin.

"Thank you, Mr. Avalon," Marin bowed her head. "But you really didn't have to go through the trouble. They serve food here too, you know?"

Link chuckled at that. "I know. But I wanted to get to know my client a little closer, and what better way to do it than over lunch?"

Marin smiled at that and took the red lid off the black lunch box. Inside were slices of eel on top of the rice. She gasped slightly and looked up at Link. "You really didn't have to, if I knew you were going to get _this_! This must have been so expensive!"

Link merely shrugged and opened his own lunch box. "My old mentor once told me, 'Spend little on yourself, but bare no expense for your client.'"

The brunette looked at Link through the glass, her reflection faintly staring back at her. "…Thank you, Mr. Avalon."

"You're welcome," Link nodded. He took his chopsticks and raised his lunch box. "Let's eat."

Marin returned the gesture with a smile.

"Mr. Avalon," Marin said after a while as she took the plastic lid off the styrofoam cup, which was filled with hot soup. "What made you quit law and become a teacher?"

Link looked up at her, his mouth filled with rice. He waited a few moments before quickly swallowing it and answered, "I've always wanted to become a lawyer, but I wanted to be a teacher as well."

"But why did you change from an attorney to a teacher?"

He paused for a moment. He clicked his chopsticks together a few times before he spoke. "…I was in the wrong line of work."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "What does that mean?"

"My first client," he said slowly. He looked up at Marin for a few moments. "…I wasn't able to protect her."

"She was found guilty?" She asked.

"No," he shook his head. "I just wasn't able to protect her… I found out that being a lawyer just wasn't for me…" He looked at his half-empty lunch box with a slightly solemn face. "So I went back to school and became a teacher. "

"…Then why did you offer to defend me?" Marin furrowed her brow. Link snapped his head up to face her. His chopsticks froze in his hand.

"…Huh?" Was all he could manage.

She repeated the question again for him, giggling softly at his mouth agape expression. He paused for a few moments, trying to figure out how to answer it. He glanced at her, and she was holding the cup to her mouth, drinking the soup in it.

"…It's like I said, Ms. Tarin," Link finally said. She looked at him from the corner of her eye and set her cup down.

"Anything for a student of mine," he put on his best smile. "When I heard that no one believed your story, I couldn't help but say something. You said that you'd be assigned a lawyer by the city if you didn't find one in time yourself. But that doesn't mean that he or she is going to believe you. But I know you're innocent… After all, what motive could you have possibly had… right?"

She stared at him as he spoke. It touched her, to be blunt. She was new to this city, to this whole country. The one person who she could open up to was dead. No one even gave her story second thought. Aside from Raven, there was no one in the city—in the country—she could turn to when she needed help. Having something believe in her—even if it was a stranger like Link Avalon—gave her comfort.

"…Thank you," Marin grinned gratefully. She put the lid on the cup and on the lunch box. She wiped her chopsticks with her napkin and placed it neatly on the stack of the lunch box and the styrofoam cup. "The meal was delicious," she said as she bowed. "And I can't thank you enough for your faith in me."

Link just smiled and reciprocated the gesture, putting down his chopsticks and closing his own utensils. "You're welcome… Now, if it's alright with you," Link said. "I'd like to ask you a little more about—"

"Is it about my sister?" Marin cut him off.

"…Please, Ms. Tarin," Link shook his head. "Let me finish."

Marin's face turned slightly pink at that. "…Sorry."

"I want to know a little about the morning of the murder," Link said after a short pause as he put the boxes back into the plastic bag and on the floor next to his laptop case.

"Oh…" Marin's eyebrow went up slightly. "Alright then."

Link shifted in his seat somewhat as he reached into his pocket for the receipt he found back at the cafeteria earlier that day. But he didn't show it to her right then; he put it on his lap, fiddling with it under the desk.

"Where did you go on the morning of the 29th… specifically?" Link asked her.

Marin sighed softly as she looked past Link towards the crack where the ceiling and the wall met. Her eyes moved around a little and her lips spoke inaudible words. "…I went to a coffee shop, Error's Café, to have a quick breakfast, probably at 7:45… And at around 8:15, I went to a flower shop—"

"Was it by any chance," Link interrupted. He unfolded the receipt and read aloud the name of the store. "…Beedle's Flowers, Gifts, and Sundries?"

Marin's face lit up at that. "That's it! Yeah, I went there…" She was about to continue before her smile slowly faded into a confused and questioning expression. "…How did you know that?"

Link ignored the question and asked one of his own. "What did you buy there?"

Marin furrowed her brow at him. She saw a change in his mood, and it was also evident by the tone of voice he was using with her. It was like he was accusing her of something.

"…Bomb flowers," Marin replied slowly, her brow still knit. "Domesticated bomb flowers."

Link smirked to himself in satisfaction. Marin opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off again. "Ms. Tarin… Yesterday, I went to visit someone… At the Market District Cemetery."

Marin raised an eyebrow at that.

"And when I got there, someone planted domesticated bomb flowers at her headstone," Link said. "…Her name is Zelda Harkinian."

The brunette just stared at him. "…Zel… da?"

"I also happened to find this under where you were sitting at the table where the murder occurred," Link continued. He took the receipt in his hand and flicked it onto the tabletop. "It's a sales receipt from Beetle's Flower's Gifts, and Sundries. And according to the recorded date and time… It fits seamlessly with the time you said you went there as well!"

Marin didn't say anything. She just watched Link, who was at that point becoming rather emotional.

"Zelda Harkinian was the client I told you about," Link spoke softly. "The client I failed to protect. And she had a sister who requested that I take her case… A twin sister…" He looked up and stared Marin straight in the eye. "…And you and Zelda look _exactly_ the same."

Marin gasped sharply. "M-Mr. Avalon… A-are you trying to say that…"

"Ms. Tarin," Link whispered, his voice shaking. "…Are you Zelda's sister?"

Marin could see the pain in Link's eyes, she could sense the emotion in his voice. It was clear to her that his failure as he put it to protect her strongly affected him, or he had some rather strong personal feelings for her.

Marin finally replied, "…No."

Link's eyes widened in shock at her answer. _W-what!?_ "M-Ms. Tarin… Don't lie to—"

"I swear to you, Mr. Avalon," Marin shook her head. "That to the best of my knowledge, I am in no way related to your… Zelda Harkinian." She reached for her purse and dug around in the contents before pulling out a folded paper. "I can also tell you that the receipt you showed me isn't mine."

Link was frozen. He couldn't move. He could hardly breathe. _But… But I was so sure…_

"_This_ is my receipt from that flower shop," Marin said, handing the paper to him. His eyes shifted from her face to the hand pushing the receipt through the hole in the glass. He slowly reached for it, his hand brushing against hers for a split second, and he held it to his face to read it.

_**Beedle's Flowers, Gifts and Sundries**_

_BOMBFLWRS—DOMES…. 2690 RP_

_SCARF, BLK…..1615 RP_

_Total… 4305 RP_

_Thank you for patronage!_

_Try our automatic cashier! Buy/sell by pressing C!_

_092908 08:24a_

He took the receipt he found at the cafeteria and held the two to each other. Everything on both papers were the same except the time; there was a three minute difference between the two. Marin checked out three minutes after the time on the first receipt. It left only one question in his mind: _Who did the other receipt belong to?_

"…T-then your… Your sister…" Link croaked.

"She wasn't my twin," Marin shook her head. "We're five years apart. She liked to travel a lot… When she came here to Hyrule, she said that she was fascinated by the bomb flowers that grew on Death Mountain. They were her favorite. I was planning to take them home with me to this little shrine I keep in my apartment in remembrance of her." She smiled softly. "Her name was Tetra."

Link just stared at her. Every second he did, he felt like he was going back in time to the day he met Zelda at the detention center six years ago. He almost fell out of his chair from the overwhelming vertigo.

He opened his mouth to say Marin's name, but it almost came out as "Zelda".

"…I'm sorry about whatever happened between you and this Ms. Harkinian," Marin smiled weakly. "But I honestly have no recollection of anyone by that name."

He stayed silent. He just nodded slightly, expressionless and got up from his seat. "…I see."

"Mr. Avalon," Marin abruptly stood up. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he answered flatly. He forced a smile, but by the concerned frown on her face, he could tell it wasn't the least bit convincing. "Please, don't worry about me."

Link picked up his bags and bowed to Marin. "Thank you for your time… Ms. Tarin."

She was about to ask him again if he was feeling well; his face was slightly green and his eyes were twitching slightly, as if tears were threatening to fall out. But she decided against it and simply returned the bow with an acknowledging nod, pushing her chair in as she did so. "…You're welcome."

"I'll see you at the trial tomorrow," Link said in an almost dead voice before turning and walking away.

September 3, 2008; 4:24 PM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Vantage Pointe Condominiums, Apartment 201

Link let the hot water pouring down on his body from his impossibly complicated shower head relax his tense muscles. It had been a long day. He exhausted all his energy all before noon: driving to the detention center, then over to the university, then back to the detention center after he picked up lunch for him and Marin. It doesn't sound like much to most people, but to Link, it was horribly tiring, especially with what he had to put up with during those four hours he had been out.

_...Marin_, Link thought as he ran a wet hand through his slick hair. _Is what you told me… really true?_

He had been so sure that Marin was the woman who contacted him about Zelda so many years ago. Zelda had told him that she had a twin sister; was it just a bizarre turn of events that someone who looked _just_ like her pop up into his life again, and have no relation to her? He never even knew her sister's name, so he couldn't totally discredit her claims; was it possible that Marin had been lying to him?

After that conversation with her, he had decided to just go home and rest; he was going to need his energy in court after all. Regardless of who Marin Tarin really was, she was his client, and he was obligated prove her innocent. He figured it was best to leave the matter of her genealogy alone, and focus on helping her get acquitted.

"Uncle Linky!"

Link pulled the shower curtain and poked his head out. Through the heavy steam, he saw his niece Aryll standing in the middle of the bathroom doorway.

Every Wednesday he babysat his little brother's daughter, Aryll. She was seven years old, with golden blonde hair and neutral blue eyes. In her hand was a telescope, a present he gave her for her fifth birthday.

"You need something?" Link asked as he wiped his face clean of water.

"Do you have anything to eat?" She clasped her hands behind her back, smiling innocently.

He furrowed his brow for a moment. "…You can have some Chu jelly popsicles for now," he shrugged. "They're in the freezer, in that yellow box. But when I'm finished here, I promise to make you something extra special!"

Aryll laughed and nodded exuberantly. "You promise!?"

Link chuckled softly and nodded in reply. "You got it."

She smiled and before she closed the door, she exclaimed, "Alrighty!"

He pulled the curtain back and grabbed his bottle of body wash. Squeezing a generous amount onto his palm with his left hand, he closed the lid by pressing it against his chin. He rubbed his hands together and lathered himself thoroughly, starting with his arms and working his arms. He moved to his chest and torso, dipping his fingertips into the crevasses between his muscles, and worked his way downwards to the inside of his thighs, down his legs and to his feet.

He threw his head back and cracked his neck as he took the shower head off its holder and sprayed the body wash off his skin.

"Uncle Linky!" The door opened again and Aryll's voice rang through the bathroom.

"What is it?" Link asked, looking at her through the curtain as he washed off his crotch and his legs.

"There's someone at the door."

"Is it your dad?" He asked again, spraying his back with the water.

"No," she shook her head. "I looked at the screeny thingy, and it's some man." The doorbell rung again, and she turned towards the front door. She aimed her telescope in the door's direction and peered through it.

He raised an eyebrow, put the shower head back on its holder, and turned off the water. He poked an arm out of the curtain and grabbed his towel from off the toilet seat cover, dried his legs off, and snugly wrapped it around his waist.

He pulled the curtain back, stepped out of the bathtub, tugged another towel from off the towel rack and dried his hair out with it. As he walked past Aryll out of the bathroom, he quickly ruffled her shoulder-length hair.

"Hey!" She laughed as he chuckled softly. Before he got away, she reared her hand back and smacked his butt like a football player.

"Whoa!" Link jumped in surprise, his hands instinctively went to his rear and glared at her playfully. "What was that for!?" She didn't say anything; she just giggled mischievously before scampering back to the kotatsu and continued eating popsicle. He gave her a lopsided grin and shook his head.

As Link walked out of the bathroom, the cool air of the apartment rushed against him, arousing a sharp gasp and a violent shiver from him. He took the towel around his neck and quickly wiped the rapidly evaporating water droplets from off his arms, chest and back and stopped at the front door. He looked at the screen built into a wall which acted as a peep hole, and was connected to a surveillance camera above the door in the hallway outside. His eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat when he saw who it was.

_What is _he_ doing here_? Link thought to himself in disbelief. He rested the towel around his neck and opened the door to an all too familiar face.

Standing before him was the one and only Ganondorf Dragmire.

His appearance was relatively unchanged from when Link last saw him six years ago. Same old red hair. Same red eyes. Same sophisticated clothing. Same sinister smile.

"It's been a while, Avalon," Ganondorf snickered in his same deep voice.

"…What are you doing here?" Link finally said quietly.

The famed prosecutor took one long look at Link's relatively unclothed body and chuckled to himself. "You work out? …Put a shirt on. I didn't come here to do _that_."

Link merely narrowed his eyes at him. _Damn, he hasn't changed a bit_.

"Who is it?" Aryll's voice came up, breaking the tension between the two men. She came up to Link's side and looked up at Ganondorf. He caught sight of her, and when he did, he put on a shockingly convincing kind smile.

"Hello there," Ganondorf knelt down so that he was at eye level with her. "I'm Mr. Dragmire."

"…Go play in my room for a moment, Aryll," Link pat her on the back softly. "I need to speak with… Mr. Dragmire privately."

"Okie dokie, Uncle Linky," Aryll turned to him and nodded. She picked up her telescope, her Feenie Baby and her Apolly Pocket and went into Link's room, closing the door behind her.

"'Uncle Linky', eh?" The Gerudo repeated with amusement. Link stepped aside to let Ganondorf through the doorway, and he closed the door behind him. "For a second, I thought she was yours."

"She's my niece," Link said coolly. "My kid brother's daughter."

"Cute kid," Ganondorf said, taking his shoes off and placing them neatly by the door.

"…You have yet to answer my question," Link said, crossing his arms over his bare chest.

"And you have yet to put some damn clothes on," Ganondorf retorted cheekily.

Link cursed him under his breath. "…Why are you here?"

"I always meet with my opponents before a trial," he shrugged. "Got any coffee?"

The blonde paused a moment before walking into the kitchen towards the coffee brewer, where the coffee he made before his shower was still hot. "You didn't do this last time we were in court," he said, getting two mugs out of a cupboard.

"I only do it with people I deem worthy," Ganondorf shrugged casually, taking a seat at the kotatsu.

"I'm honored," the blonde scoffed as he poured the coffee into the cups. "What do you want with your coffee?"

"I'll take it black."

Link took the mug over to Ganondorf and set it down on the table in front of him.

"Thanks," he said as the blonde sat down across from him, drinking out of his own cup.

"So you're the attorney…" Ganondorf smiled, taking a deep gulp from his drink. "Thought you gave up law. Heard you're a bigshot professor at Hyrule U… Pretty impressive, I gotta say… What made you suddenly go back to bein' a lawyer?"

"I have my reasons," Link simply stated.

"…Got anything to do with that Tarin chick?" Ganondorf looked up from his mug to Link with an eyebrow raised in amusement.

Link said nothing. He just stared at the prosecutor accusingly, fire buring in his eyes. "…You killed Kafei Kaminogi that day."

"Ah…" Ganondorf nodded sagely. "So it's got to do with that trial, eh? Gotta admit that when I first met with Marin Tarin, I thought she was Zelda as well. Resemblance is damn uncanny, huh? That why you agreed to being her lawyer? 'Cause she reminded you so much of Zelda?"

"…That—"

"Ain't got nothin' to do with it?" The Gerudo finished his sentence. He couldn't help but laugh when he saw Link's face twist into anger. "You don't need to lie to me, Avalon. It's pretty obvious. But then I wouldn't blame you. After all, what're the chances of us meeting again like this? Over a murder case with a defendant that looks exactly like—"

"Get out." Link said flatly, his tone menacing.

Ganondorf slowly cocked an eyebrow before sighing softly. "…Fine. I'm a man of honor."

"Men of honor don't rig evidence and testimony, and they sure as hell don't kill," Link shot back, slamming his half-empty cup against the tabletop.

The redhead just chuckled softly and got up from the table. "I'll see you tomorrow, Avalon." He proceeded to turn around to walk to the door, but he stopped himself.

"Oh yeah…" Ganondorf snapped his fingers. He reached into his inside coat pocket and pulled out a glass bottle filled with white powder and offered it to Link.

"You want sugar with that coffee?" He laughed tauntingly.

Link's blood boiled. His eyes hardened and his entire body shook violently. He tried his best to restrain himself from punching him right then and there. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't—his niece was in the other room, after all.

"Get the hell out," Link growled. "_Now_."

The prosecutor simply shrugged and stuffed the bottle back into his jacket and walked towards the door. He put on his shoes, and without another word, walked out of the apartment, leaving a fuming Link Avalon behind.

* * *

2690 rupees: 27 dollars  
1615 rupees: 16 dollars  
4305 rupees: 43 dollars

The Feenie Baby is a play on Beanie Babies and is a reference to Phoenix Wright himself. In _Trials and Tribulations_, Dahlia Hawthorne nicknames Phoenix "Feenie". Apolly Pocket is an obvious play on Polly Pocket and a reference to Apollo Justice's name. Hahaha. Though you may not find it nearly as funny unless you've played the games. As with the other many PW/AJ references previously made and to happen in the future.

Like I said, this chapter is one of my personal favorites. At least out of the nine I've written so far. Mostly because of that one scene with Link and Ganondorf.

I finally drew something again! **SirJoshizzle(dot)deviantart(dot)com/art/SHIRTLESS-Link-Waiting-81211466**

Link is SHIRTLESS! When I drew it, I had all my fangirls in mind. You know I love you. That's why I'll be seeing you in COURT! ...Come chapter eight. When will that be? That's a secret.

Leave a review if that's what tickes your fancy.

_Enjoy Life and Smile._

* * *


	8. What She Saw

* * *

Chapter eight, kids. :)

* * *

September 4, 2008; 9:54 AM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Court of the Heavenly Goddesses—Defendant Lobby 5

"…So that's what happened to her?" Marin spoke slowly as Link finished his story. He had just gone through telling her what happened between him and Zelda. He told her about what happened during the trial; needless to say, Marin was just as shocked at the parallels between the cases concerning Zelda and herself. He told her how he found her lying dead on the bathroom floor, just as he was about to acquit her of the murder charge. He told her that he gave up law because he took her death on his shoulders; he believed it was his fault that Zelda died. And to keep from ending anymore lives, he quit being a lawyer.

"Yeah…" Link merely nodded his head.

"And that prosecutor…" She furrowed her brow. "Mr. Dragmire… He was the one responsible for the Mr. Kaminogi's death?"

He nodded his head again. "Yeah…"

"…I see," she said after a short silence. She turned to him and smiled brightly. "I'm sure it's not your fault, Mr. Avalon."

He looked at her from the corner of his eye and turned his head to face her. He raised an eyebrow slightly. "Huh?"

"I wouldn't be so hard on myself," she looked forward and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "After all, it's not like _you _killed her, right? If she were here…" She turned to him and beamed, lidding her eyes halfway. "I'm sure she'd hate to see you so beat up over it."

The blonde stared at her for a while. Hair fell down both sides of her face, while the rest of tucked behind her ears. Some of it was held up with a hairtie, dancing like a small flame on the back of her head every time her head moved. Her sleeveless sky blue dress with light green leaf designs around the skirt loosely hugged her figure, yet showed off a decent amount of curves.

"…You really think so?" He finally asked.

"I'm positive," she opened her eyes and nodded. "Please don't let it concern you, Mr. Avalon. After all… it's all in the past. And what matters right now is the present, right?"

His lips couldn't help but curl into a small smile at her attempt to cheer him up. But she was right; Zelda's death affected him deeply, especially for someone he barely knew, but it was in the past. And what mattered now was…

"…Your innocence…" He spoke aloud.

She turned to him with a questioning look. "Hm?"

"You're right, Ms. Tarin," he nodded. "What matters right now proving you innocent."

She grinned and laughed softly. "Right! And when the trial is over, I'll do whatever it takes to help you get more information on what happened to Ms. Harkinian."

The doors leading to the courtroom opened. The two looked away from each other and to the double doors, and saw one of the bailiffs' head poking out.

"Mr. Avalon, Ms. Tarin," he spoke in his baritone voice. He pulled out a thumb and pointed it behind him. "Court is about to begin."

"Alright," Link nodded, and the bailiff closed the door behind him.

September 4, 2008; 10:00 AM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Court of the Heavenly Goddesses—Courtroom 5

The courtroom was an all to familiar setting for Link. The room was relatively unchanged from the last time he stepped into it six years ago. He stood behind the defense's bench with Marin at his side. Across from him was Ganondorf Dragmire, dressed in his expensive Terminian-cut outfit. The audience booths behind the defense and prosecution's benches were both filled to their capacities. The only thing different about the setting, was the judge.

The judge, while he looked rather similar to Auru Sayje, the presiding judge in that trial, was a different man. He seemed to be a bit more portly, he had less hair on his head, and his beard was thicker. But the calm and collected expression on his face was exactly the same. His name was Rauru Sayje, older brother to Auru. Link had heard much about him when he was still a law student. Rauru was one of the most well-known figures in Castle Town's judicial system, and his career was much more established than that of Auru's.

Rauru hit his gavel against its soundblock twice before speaking. "Court is now in session for the trial of Ms. Marin Tarin."

"The defense is ready, Your Honor," Link said, nodding his head in acknowledgement.

"As am I," Ganondorf spoke in his deep voice.

"Mr. Dragmire," Rauru glanced at the Gerudo. "A pleasure to see you again." He turned his attention to Link and raised an eyebrow slightly. "…Link Avalon… I'm sorry, I'm afraid I've never heard of your name before. Is this your first time in court?"

Link didn't say anything for a moment. He stole a glance at Marin, who was giving him the same uncertain look. "…No, Your Honor. This is my second time."

"I see," Rauru nodded. "In any case, your opening statement, Mr. Dragmire."

"Yes, Your Honor," Ganondorf nodded. "The victim in his case is Mr. Raven Ambi."

The judge raised an eyebrow at that. "Ambi? Where have I heard that name before…?"

"He was a prosecutor," Ganondorf replied. "And a very good friend of mine…"

"…Ah yes, that's right…" Rauru nodded with his eyes closed. "He was your protégé… Please, go on."

"The woman standing with Mr. Avalon, Marin Tarin, is the defendant. She's charged with his murder."

Link couldn't help but notice a change in Ganondorf's demeanor; he seemed much less abrasive than when they first met. But as it were, the victim was his best friend. The cool front was most likely there to hide something. After all, what are the chances of a friend of the victim leading his murder case's prosecution?

"What is the relation between the victim and the defendant?" Rauru asked.

"…They were dating."

The judge's eyes went wide at that. "W-what!? A woman killing her boyfriend!? …Could she be a gold digger, perhaps?"

Link heard Marin scoff under her breath at that. It was then that he took the time to cut in. "I… don't think that's possible, Your Honor. My client just recently moved here from Koholint Island."

"But then again," the prosecutor chimed in. "Lawyers _are_ among the highest paid in the city."

"But you're forgetting, Mr. Dragmire," Link snapped back. "The two had not known each other very long. She _did_ know he was a lawyer, but I doubt that she knew how much he made for a living."

Before Ganondorf could retort, Rauru cut him off with his gavel. "The defendant's motive is not the most important question at this time. In any case, let us proceed with the trial. Mr. Dragmire, your first witness, please?"

He nodded. "I call the detective in charge of the initial investigation."

Link looked over to the double doors of the courtroom. _Could that be… Detective Bellum?_

The doors opened, and sure enough, Detective Linebeck Bellum walked in. He was still in his tan trench coat, but his clothes inside of it were different. He walked straight to the witness stand in front of Rauru.

Ganondorf turned to Linebeck. "Witness, state your name and occupation," he said, tapping his finger on the desk.

"Bellum," Linebeck replied. "Linebeck Bellum! I'm in charge of homicide cases at the District Precinct, and the head detective in this case, sir!"

"Please give us an overview of the murder, if you please," Rauru said to him.

"Right away, Your Honor!" Linebeck nodded with a smirk. "The victim was Prosecutor Raven Ambi. He was a new member of the city's prosecutor office. His cause of death was an overdose of potassium cyanide laced in his coffee."

Rauru nodded. "That much is stated in the autopsy. Please continue, with more specifics on the murder itself."

"Yes, Your Honor." Linebeck cleared his throat a few times before talking again. "We had a map of the cafeteria prepared. Someone kill the lights, would ya?"

One of the bailiffs standing next to the doors turned around and slightly dimmed the lights in the room. Overhead in the middle of the courtroom, a projector turned on, displaying an overview of the cafeteria's floorplans on the ground. People in the audience booths, as well as Rauru, shuffled around a bit, standing up so they could get a better view. Linebeck took a laser pointer out of his coat pocket and turned it on, pointing the red dot to one of the many circles that represented tables, located in the center of the diagram.

Link examined the diagram, very impressed with the technology. In all the court proceeding videos he watched, people used conventional maps and diagrams with magnets symbolizing objects,

"This is the table the victim and defendant, Ms. Marin Tarin, were sittin' at," he said to the court. A blue circle labeled "V" for victim appeared on one side of the circle, and another red circle, labeled "K" for killer appeared.

"Accordin' to Ms. Tarin, as well as eyewitnesses, she got up from her seat and fell into the lunch line to buy food for her and Mr. Ambi." As the detective spoke, the red circle moved to Linebeck's right towards a long bar that represented the kitchen and the lunch line.

"When she came back with the food," Linebeck went on, and the red circle moved back to the table where it came from, "Ms. Tarin slipped the poison into Mr. Ambi's drink. And that's when he died!"

Rauru closed his eyes in thought. "…Yes, thank you, Detective." He spoke as the projection of the diagram dimmed and the lights came back on. "You may begin your testimony."

"On the day of the murder," Linebeck started, "Ms. Tarin was at the university to register for the new school year. Mr. Ambi came with her that day. When the registration process was over, the two decided to eat at one of the campus cafeterias. And that's where he was murdered, sir."

When Linebeck was done, Rauru nodded slowly. "Hmm…"

"Mr. Ambi also had a cold that day," Linebeck added.

"A cold?" Rauru raised an eyebrow. "That seems odd, especially during late summer."

"He was rather prone to sickness," Llinebeck explained. "So before Ms. Tarin met him at the university that day, she bought him a scarf since he was under the weather."

…_Oh yeah,_ Link said to himself. _On the receipt Marin showed me, a scarf was one of the things she bought._

"Because of his frailty, he responded to the effects of the poison rather quickly." Linebeck said.

"I see… So the two were together during the defendant's registration process?" Rauru asked.

"That's right," Ganondorf nodded. "Raven was quite in love with Ms. Tarin." He glanced at Marin. "You should know that though you two haven't known each other very long, he was all you talked about at the prosecutor's office."

Link turned to the brunette, who was smiling sheepishly. _All the more reason to _not _believe that Marin was the one who killed him…_

"Mr. Avalon."

Link snapped out of his train of thought at the mention of his name. He looked at Rauru, who was giving him an expecting glance. "Y-yes, Your Honor?"

"Your cross-examination," Rauru said.

The blonde nodded slowly. "R-right."

Link sorted through his papers before talking to Linebeck. _Couldn't find anything wrong with that testimony… I didn't expect that from someone like Detective Bellum… Oh well. Maybe if I just press him for more specifics? It worked before. Don't see why it shouldn't work now. I'll look stupid asking obvious questions, but if I don't…_ He stole a glance at Marin.

"Detective," Link spoke, looking back to Linebeck. "Did you happen to bring any photos of the crime scene with you? So we can better see the actual crime scene?"

"Sure did, pal!" The green-eyed man grinned, opening a folder in front of him. "Got a few with me. But this one is I think the best. Captures the moment like murder happened!"

Link cocked an eyebrow at him as he handed the photo to a bailiff, who in turn gave it to him. _Last I checked… a murder _did _happen…_

He accepted the photo with a grateful nod and examined it closely. It showed Raven's corpse slumped at his seat, his face buried in his food. Bits of chicken and rice were scattered over the tabletop. The meal across from him, which he guessed to be Marin's, was relatively untouched. But something was off about the picture. Link couldn't help but notice that something… was missing.

"Objection!" Link exclaimed. "Detective!"

Linebeck snapped his head over to look at him. "W-what!?"

"There's something rather… contradictory about this photo," Link said slowly.

"What?" The detective asked. "What is it?"

"…Your Honor," Link said, handing the photo to a bailiff. "Would you please look at this photo?"

Rauru took the picture from the bailiff and examined it. "…I see nothing wrong with it, Mr. Avalon… Care to explain?"

"Gladly," the blonde smirked. "Earlier, Detective Bellum brought up the fact that Mr. Ambi was wearing a scarf the day of the murder… Your Honor, please look closer. Specifically at the area around his neck."

Rauru brought the photo closer to his eyes before gasping. "The scarf!"

"There is none!" Link nodded and turned back to Linebeck. "I have a simple question for you: where is the scarf in that picture?"

The detective grunted sharply. "Ah! W-well… Funny thing is, we couldn't find it either."

"And you stopped there!?" Link cried out in disbelief. "Why didn't you look for it!?"

"Objection!" Ganondorf countered. "He could have easily taken it off before he started eating!"

"…That may be," Link shrugged. "But maybe we should ask someone who was there…" He turned to Marin, and everyone followed suit.

Marin felt all the pairs of eyes on her, and he looked around in confusion. "…H-huh?"

"Was Mr. Ambi wearing the scarf you gave him at the time of his death?" Rauru asked her.

"…He was," Marin nodded.

The crowds started murmuring at that, but were silenced by a slam of Rauru's gavel.

"Ms. Tarin just confirmed for us that Mr. Ambi was wearing her scarf that day, yet it is suspiciously absent in his picture," the judge said. "Mr. Dragmire, care to comment?"

The Gerudo just chuckled in amusement. "I didn't think that even Mr. Avalon would get worked up over such a tiny discrepancy."

"I'm a lawyer," Link countered seriously with both hands planted firmly on the table. "There is no such thing as a 'tiny discrepancy'. There should be no contradiction between evidence and testimony, especially from someone like Detective Bellum. And if there is, it's my job to hammer it out."

The prosecutor nodded slowly. "Such a passionate speech, Mr. Avalon… Fine. If the scarf matters that much to you…" He reached beneath the bench and pulled out his black leather briefcase. He undid the built-in combination lock and opened the lid. He reached into it case, and pulled out a long, thick black fabric.

"…Would this the one scarf you bought that day, Ms. Tarin?" Ganondorf asked, holding the article of clothing out with both hands for her to see. It was completely black, made of soft fleece, with a few small tags on one end, and both ends were decorated with small tassels.

"Yeah!" Marin nodded, pointing at it. "That's the one I got for him!."

_W-what!?_ Link's bewildered gaze tethered back and forth between her and him. _H-how did he—_

"Wh-where did you find that, Prosecutor?" Linebeck asked him.

"It was on the floor next to Raven's seat," Ganondorf replied casually. "Before your investigation team arrived to inspect the scene, I conducted my own search. It must have somehow fallen off, but it's indeed his. I had it tested, and it had both Raven and Ms. Tarin's DNA on it."

Link glared bitterly at Ganondorf, who had his signature smug grin on his face. _Ganondorf… was hiding that thing from me! He set me up!_

"I'm not sure how this scarf relates to the murder…" Rauru said slowly, rubbing the fabric between his fingers. "But just as a precaution, the court will accept Mr. Raven Ambi's scarf into evidence."

"I'm not sure if the defense knows how it's relevant either, Your Honor," Ganondorf chuckled. "Now if the defense is finished embarrassing himself, the prosecution would like to continue with the trial." He glanced at Link, who was fuming so hard, the blonde could swear he felt smoke shooting out of his ears.

"That _is_ alright with you, isn't it… Mr. Avalon?" The Gerudo asked earnestly.

_D-damn you, Ganondorf… _Link's body was trembling from anger. _I'd like to wrap that scarf around your little neck and—_

"Moving on," the prosecutor sighed. "I'm sure that we can all agree that while we established the fact that Ms. Tarin had every opportunity to commit the poisoning, no one has yet to actually prove it that she did it."

"…Point being, Prosecutor Dragmire?" Rauru's brow raised slightly in confusion.

"I'd like for Detective Bellum to testify what happened at the table during the poisoning," Ganondorf said. "Detective, please go on."

"Yes, sir!" Linebeck grinned with an affirmative nod. "Okay… There was an eyewitness to Ms. Tarin's crime, Your Honor! She was in the university's photography club; she took this photo with her digital Picto-box. Hey, lights!"

The bailiff behind him nodded, and the courtroom's lights slightly dimmed again. The floor projection of the diagram of the cafeteria faded out into a high-quality black and white photograph showing Raven and Marin, surrounded by people, sitting together and eating their food. Marin's back was turned to the camera lens, but it was visible that an open pack of sugar was in her hand.

"It was during peak lunch hours, so unfortunately there are a few people walking around that blocked the view," the detective added. "She poured the sugar into the cup, and that's how she poisoned him! He convulsed so hard, the scarf around his neck fell off!"

Marin didn't say anything; she just glanced at Linebeck with a questioning look.

"…Hmm," Rauru murmured, studying the picture on the ground. "This photo… It was taken by an eyewitness, you say?"

"An incoming freshman at Hyrule University," Ganondorf replied.

"Why isn't she here then?" The judge asked. "Is she waiting in the prosecutor's lounge?"

"She didn't want to testify," Linebeck said. "So being the genteelman I am, I volunteeted to testify on her behalf!"

Link cocked an eyebrow. _…"Genteelman"?_

"…Very well," Rauru nodded. "Mr. Avalon, you may cross-examine the detective."

Link nodded and looked over to Linebeck. "Detective, you mentioned at the beginning an eyewitness… Just who was she exactly?"

"She was one of the college's new freshmen," he replied.

The blonde paused for a moment, thinking, _…I believe I asked _exactly_, Detective…_

"Why didn't she come in to testify today?" Link asked.

"Objection!" Ganondorf cut in before Linebeck could answer. "Does it really matter why she's not here? We have her testimony coming through Detective Bellum, and her piece of evidence along with it. As long as we have these two, there's no reason for her presence."

Link bit the inside of his lower lip at that, eyeing him suspiciously. _Why did he get so jumpy all of a sudden? Is he hiding her from me…?_

"Mr. Dragmire _does_ bring up a strong point, Mr. Avalon," Rauru added, looking over at the defense attorney. "If you want this eyewitness to come in and testify for herself, you're going to have to give us a good reason why."

"…Nggh…" Link groaned under his breath, a disappointed look on his face. _I guess I can let it slip… for now._

"...I believe that it's a little suspicious that this witness would have a camera with her at such a convenient time," Link rubbed his chin. "Don't you think that there's a certain reason for taking _this_ photo?"

The brown-haired detective couldn't help but be confused. "…What?"

"Objection!" Ganondorf once again intervened. "What ulterior motive could be behind this photo!? We just established that the woman who took this picture was in the photography club at Hyrule U.! …Besides, there are tons more pictures just like this."

"Wh-what?" Link retracted his head in slightly, raising his left eyebrow as he did so.

"We scanned every picture on her Picto-box's memory card," he explained. "There were many she took at the cafeteria that day before she took this one, and many more afterwards. Some of were the campus, some of Castle Town Bay, Hylia Square… You get the picture. The point is, with the number of photos she took, it'd be a bit odd to single this one out. Wouldn't you agree?"

Rauru turned to Link. "Well, Mr. Avalon? What do you have to say? Is there something odd about this photo?"

"…There is, Your Honor," Link answered, a smirk creeping onto his lips. Ganondorf didn't say anything.

"Then by all means, Mr. Avalon…" The judge nodded slowly. "What is it about this photo that doesn't work?"

Link looked back at the picture, his eyes fixated on Raven. "It's the victim… Mr. Raven Ambi."

The courtroom broke into murmuring and shuffling as people stood up from their seats, leaning inwards to get a better look of the picture projected on the ground.

"…I don't understand," Rauru shook his head. "What is so peculiar about him?"

"Detective," Link turned to the brunette. "You said that your witness did not want to testify, so you're coming in for her today."

"That's right!"

"Are you telling us everything she said?"

Linkbeck grinned at that. "Every last detail! Even rehearsed at home how to say everything just like her!"

"Hmph…" Link uttered softly. "I'm having trouble believing your witness, then."

Linebeck's happiness quickly faded into a rather stern frown. His back straightened as he stared at Link. "…What's that?"

"You said, quoting your witness, 'She poured the sugar into the cup, and that's how she poisoned him! He convulsed so hard, the scarf around his neck fell off!' Is that right?"

"Yeah, yeah! It's right!" Linebeck snapped back, growing impatient. "Git to the point! What's so fishy about my witness!?"

"May I ask the court to please direct their attention to Mr. Ambi's neck," Link said smartly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"…Wa-wait! The scarf!" Someone from the booth behind Ganondorf cried out. "He ain't wearin' it!"

Link slammed his hands against the table. "Precisely! The witness whom Detective Bellum is testifying for claims that the scarf fell off during a convusion from the poison, yet her own photograph says differently!"

The room erupted in mixed conversation, but they were silenced immediately with Rauru's gavel slamming down repeatedly.

"Order! Order!" Rauru yelled over the crowds. "I will have order! Any further exclamations from the audience will not be tolerated in my court room! …Mr. Dragmire! What is the meaning of this!?"

Ganondorf wasn't so quick to reply this time. He actually looked rather nervous; his hand on the desk that supported him was trembling rather noticeably. "…I'd… I'd like to know myself… And suffice it to say, the defense seems to know the answer."

Link was taken aback. "…! W-what?"

"You pointed out the contradiction," the prosecutor explained. "Now explain to us why it's there. After all, behind every contradiction is an explanation."

_I… I don't know! _Link kicked himself mentally. _Damn! I should have known he'd somehow turn it around… Everyone's looking at me… Why should I know the answer anyway!?_

"Mr. Avalon…" Marin whispered over to him.

Link turned to her, snapping out of his thoughts. "H-huh!? W-what is it?"

"Now's your chance!" She nodded. "You have an excuse to call the witness now!"

Link stared at her. _…She's right!_

"What are you two whispering about?" Ganondorf stared at Marin pointedly with an accusing voice.

"Mr. Avalon can't explain the contradiction!" Marin replied. "…At least not by himself…"

Rauru raised his eyebrow at her.

"She's right," Link nodded. "Detective Bellum said something to this effect: 'He convulsed so hard, the scarf around his neck fell off! Detective, that's what you're saying she told you she saw, right?"

"Yes, already!" He snapped. "I keep tellin' ya that!"

"…Your witness is lying," the blonde smirked. "After all, her photo was taken before his death, and the scarf isn't even there to fall off. And since she obviously had access to these pictures, she wouldn't have made such a mistake."

"That's true," Rauru nodded in agreement.

Link slammed his hands again. "Your Honor! The defese requests to cross-examine the eyewitness in question! The testimony we've heard is full of holes! You can't call my client guilty based on such contradictory statements!"

Rauru looked at Link for a moment before closing his eyes and nodding. "Very well. Detective Bellum, you are free to go. Prosecutor Dragmire, it looks like we'll be needing your witness after all."

Ganondorf grimaced slightly before giving a slight nod. "…Fine. I'll contact her immediately."

"Excellent," the judge rubbed his chin. "This court is in recess until she arrives."

_This witness, whoever she is, has been lying…_ Link furrowed his brow. _I just need to find out why… and if she's somehow related to the murder…_

* * *

Chapter nine has yet to be written, you see. I've had chapters one through eight finished for quite a while, you see, which is how I've been able to update so rapidly. And chapter nine is proving to be such a bitch to write. But hopefully it'll be up pretty soon. No promises on it making it tomorrow, though.

Man, I need to go back to Bath and Body Works to buy some creativity stimulant oils. And some more Japanese Cherry Blossom lotion. I'm running out. How? That's my dirty little secret. :)

_Enjoy Life and Smile._

* * *


	9. Blind Testimony

* * *

Thank you very much for reviews and support. I'm sorry this chapter took so long to get up.

* * *

September 4, 2008; 11:26 AM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Court of the Heavenly Goddesses—Courtroom 5

"Prosecutor Dragmire," Rauru said to Ganondorf as he walked through the doors towards the prosecutor's bench. "I trust your witness is prepared and ready?"

He nodded in reply. "She is, Your Honor… Prosecution calls the witness to Ms. Marin Tarin's crime!"

The doors opened again, and a woman came through. She was a Zora, a tribe of fish-human hybrid. She walked up to the witness stand, and all the while Link had his eyes surreptitiously fixated on her.

_Where have I seen her before…?_ Link wondered. _She looks familiar, but…_

"Witness," Ganondorf said, "Your name and occupation for the record."

"…Ruto Rutela," the Zora answered. "A freshman at Hyrule University. Castle Town Metropolitan High School class of 2008 valedictorian, graduated with a perfect 5.0."

Ruto glanced at Link, and she couldn't help but gasp sharply, her eyes widening slightly. "…I didn't think I'd see you here… Professor Avalon."

The blonde was taken aback. It was then that he remembered. She was a student in his class! The first day of school, just two days ago! She was there!

"What are you doing, wearing that attorney's badge, Professor?" Ruto asked him.

"…I'm not a teacher today," Link shook his head after pausing for a moment. "Today I'm a defense attorney… That's all you need to know, Ms. Rutela."

Rauru looked at the attorney strangely for a second, but he shrugged it off before turning his attention to Ruto. "Ms. Rutela. It seems that earlier in the trial, there seemed to be quite a problem with the account you've given Detective Linebeck Bellum, and the photograph you took of the defendant and the victim."

"Yes," she nodded. "Mr. Dragmire told me that much during our meeting minutes ago."

"And we called you here to clear up the matter," Link added.

"That's right," the judge nodded in agreement. "Would you please enlighten us on what you saw that day?"

"Of course," Ruto smiled. "I was taking pictures for the photography club I'm in. That was when I took the picture that detective presented on my behalf. It's true that the victim wasn't wearing the scarf in the photograph; the picture explains that perfectly. It was because it had fallen off already. He bent down to pick it up and put it back on… That's how the scarf fell off during the effects from the poison kicked in."

"…Ah, I see. So that explains that contradiction." Rauru rubbed his beard slowly. "Mr. Avalon, your cross-examination… Though I see very little room for contradiction now that she has cleared up this little misunderstanding."

_To be honest… I don't see any either_, Link cursed himself. _But that means I'll just have to start pressing for more information._

"You said that you were doing a project for photography club," Link started. "That seems odd, especially since it was still summer vacation at the time of Mr. Ambi's murder."

Ruto shrugged. "Clubs start their meetings before the school year; I'm sure you're aware of that, Mr. Avalon. It was a project for all new students in the club. We were assigned to take pictures of campus life, and make a tri-fold poster with the photos we took, along with written reflections on our first impressions of the university."

_…Makes sense_, Link thought.

"Ms. Rutela, just for clarification… Could you please tell us where you were in the cafeteria at the time of the murder?" Link asked.

"If we could have the diagram of the cafeteria brought down again," Rauru said. The lights dimmed once again, and the overhead projector turned on, displaying the map on the floor. The bailiff behind Ruto handed her the laser pointer.

"A minute, please," she whispered to him. She pulled out from her purse that she set on the lectern a dark blue glasses case which held her eyeglasses.

"I'm sorry, Your Honor," she apologized sheepishly. "I'm blind as a keese without my glasses."

He smiled softly and shook his head silently. Ruto accepted the pointer with a slight bow of her head and pressed down on the button, a red dot darting across the floor as she did so.

"I was right… here," she announced, directing the pointer a table a good distance away from where Marin and Raven were designated to have sat.

"Your Picto-box must have rather impressive quality to have taken such a… clear photo from that distance," Rauru said quietly.

"This is her Picto-box," Ganondorf said to him, overhearing his comment. He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a sleek silver digital camera. The lens was recessed into the casing, and the backside was home to a generous 3.5-inch screen. "It's one of the newer models; ten megapixels is its highest quality."

"Must have cost quite a sum of rupees," Rauru chuckled softly.

_I see we've digressed from the main subject, here…_ Link smiled to himself _…Though it does look like a very good camera… I should get myself one of those when my next paycheck comes in…_

"It was a graduation present from my parents," Ruto explained.

"Anyway," Link quickly cut in after noticing just how side-tracked the trial got.

"Ah! Er, yes," Rauru cleared his throat. "O-on with the trial. The court accepts Ms. Rutela's Picto-box into evidence. Mr. Avalon, you may continue."

"Thank you, Your Honor," Link nodded. Better think of another question to ask her, before we get off topic… again.

"If you could," Link started, "Ms. Rutela, please go more in detail about the time of the murder."

"Of course," she replied. "I entered the cafeteria at 12:13 PM. The cafeteria was very busy by the time I came in; I was lucky enough to have found an open table to sit at. Anyway, I had just come back from taking pictures at Bongo Bongo Music Hall on the other side of the campus. I wasn't particularly satisfied with the photos I had taken up at that point, so I took some more while I was there at the cafeteria. One of the ones I took just so happened to be of Ms. Tarin and Mr. Ambi. Shortly after I took the picture, Mr. Ambi died."

Rauru stared at her for a moment. "Thank you, Ms. Rutela… That was quite the thorough testimony."

"My family prides itself on being perfect, Your Honor," she smiled. "Nothing else with suffice."

_Kinda like someone else I know_, Link chuckled to himself as he stole a glance at Ganondorf.

"Nice to know," the judge simply replied. "In any case, your cross-examination would be quite nice now, Mr. Avalon."

Link glanced at him, nodding his head slightly, and turned back to Ruto. "Ms. Rutela, you told us that you came in at 12:13 PM."

"On the dot," she further added.

Right… Won't it be fun teaching her this year… "Was the victim and my client there already?"

"They were," she nodded. "Well… I only saw Mr. Ambi as I walked past him to my table. Ms. Tarin was in the lunch line, I suppose."

"I see," he nodded. "And the picture presented to us today is in black and white… Were all the other pictures you took that day also in grayscale?"

"Only of the ones in the cafeteria," she replied. "I was trying out some of the features on the Picto-box, one of which was obviously the color filter setting."

"I'd like to interject for one moment," Ganondorf cut in, "I can attest to this statement, as I have seen that all the pictures in the memory card fit what Ms. Rutela just told us."

"I would also like to say," Ruto said, "I am a total witness to Ms. Tarin's crime, in addition to the photo I took."

"Can you be so sure though?" Link asked quickly. "No disrespect Ms. Rutela, but according to the diagram of the cafeteria, you weren't exactly just a table away from them. And with peak lunch hours going on at that moment, it'd be quite a bold statement to say that you were a 'total witness' to the murder."

Rauru glanced at Ruto with an expecting look.

"It's as you say, Mr. Avalon," she nodded. "But I truly did see the whole thing, from when Ms. Tarin returned up until Mr. Ambi's death."

That... just sounded really odd. Link furrowed his brow. "I hope you don't mind my asking, but what reason would you have to have watched them that whole time?"

Ruto raised an eyebrow at that.

"Objection!" Ganondorf interrupted. "I hope you don't mind my asking," he said to Link, "but are you trying to imply something?"

The blonde chuckled softly. How funny that this doesn't surprise in the least. "I'm merely searching for the truth. That is all."

"So, Ms. Rutela?" Rauru asked her. "I have to say that I agree with Mr. Avalon on this one. It may have been your wording, but when you say that you saw the whole thing, it does cast a just the slightest bit of suspicion on you… Care to explain?"

She couldn't help but smile at that. "May I remind the court that I am not the one on trial here? Regardless of my motive for watching them—which I can assure you all that I have none—this is what I did, and all else is irrelevant. I saw every moment: Ms. Tarin slipped the poison into his cup. Almost right after taking a sip from his drink, he convulsed so hard that gray scarf around his neck fell off."

Link raised an eyebrow at that. _That maybe… But for some reason it just doesn't sit well with me…_

He opened his mouth to ask another question, but he froze just before a sound escaped his lips.

_'That gray scarf'?_

"Ms. Rutela…" Link said. "I don't question that you were watching my client and the victim at the time of his death… I do question, however, if you saw everything exactly."

Her brow knit. "I'm sorry?"

"You said the scarf was gray, correct?"

She hesitated before she answered. "…Yes. And?"

Ganondorf said nothing. He just watched the attorney, glaring him down.

"Your Honor," Link started, "I would like for the scarf Prosecutor Dragmire presented to us earlier shown to the witness."

Inside Rauru's head, it clicked what Link was getting at. As he reached inside his desk, he said, "I understand now, Mr. Avalon… Ms. Rutela, this is no gray scarf."

The Zora gasped sharply. "W-what!?"

"It's black!" Link exclaimed. "Well!?"

"Objection!" The prosecutor snapped. "Gray, black… Does it make a difference?"

"It makes all the difference!" Link shot back. "Because she testified so clearly that there's no room for this kind of a mistake!"

The redhead grunted softly. "Wh… What!? But remember the photo! It was taken in grayscale! It's perfectly understandable that she'd mistake the black for gray! It'd even be plausible to call a green shirt gray in this picture!"

"I'm sorry," Link shook his head. "How about you remember the photo, Mr. Dragmire? …The scarf wasn't in the picture!"

Ruto winced slightly, but she quickly covered it up with a casual clearing of the throat. "W-well…"

"Moreover," the blonde added. "She stated the following: 'I only saw Mr. Ambi as I walked past him to my table'. If that were the case, she would have even seen up close that the scarf was black!"

Ruto swallowed nervously, the sharpness of Link's voice sending shivers down her back.

"What…" Rauru choked. "What does this all mean?"

"It means, Your Honor," Link smirked at Ganondorf. "That once again, Mr. Dragmire's witness contradicted herself. And her claim that she had no motive to have watched the murder unfold… is voided."

"What do you mean by that?" Ganondorf asked suspiciously.

"She claimed to have no motive to have watched them so closely, as she originally stated," Link explained. "But are we expected to believe that, when she says she saw everything clearly—which we now know isn't true—and continues to assert that she did?"

Rauru looked at Ganondorf. "Well?"

"I… But I did see them," Ruto pressed. "I did…"

"It's not if you were watching them, Ms. Rutela," Rauru shook his head. "It's a matter of why you were watching them."

Ruto's eyes lit up at that before her face grimaced into a scowl.

"…Ms. Rutela," Link started slowly. She turned to him. "Were you wearing your glasses the day of the murder? You said your vision is very limited without them, after all."

"…Yes, I was," she answered after a moment of silence. "I was wearing my glasses the day of the murder."

He eyed her suspiciously for a moment. _Is she sure?_

"If you don't believe me," she shrugged, "ask the brown-haired detective. I was taken into questioning shortly after the murder. He was the one who interrogated me. I had my glasses with me then."

Link nodded slowly as he reached into a pocket in his laptop case. A small crumpled paper fell out as he did so, but he paid it no attention.

"Besides, Mr. Avalon," she added. He looked up at her for a moment, the lead of his pencil just inches away from his paper.

"Even without my glasses, I can still distinguish colors," she said. "I'm near-sighted, not color blind."

_…I question just how much of that is true_, Link looked back to his paper, raising an eyebrow as he did so. _But if she has Detective Bellum to testify about her glasses, then I guess I'm in no position to argue a point._

"…Mr. Avalon…"

The blonde turned to Marin, who was giving him a very serious look.

"Yeah?" He asked with a small smile, but it slowly faded. "…What's wrong?"

She handed him a crumpled piece of paper. He eyed for a moment, cocking an eyebrow, before slowly accepting it. "…What's this?"

"A note," she replied. "I think you'll find it interesting."

He gave her a confused look before unfolding it, reading the contents. It was a memo.

**_Lakeside and Co. Optometrist Offices—Ordona Ward Branch_**

_Your eyeglasses should be ready around 4:20 PM today. Please stop by my office at this time to pick them up. The glasses will cost you 15,230 rupees. Also, I repaired your old pair of glasses. You can pick them up today as well._

_Signed, Doctor D. Lakeside_

_August 27, 2008; 10:16 AM_

_…I don't understand_, Link shook his head. "…Ms. Tarin?"

"Think about it for a second, Mr. Avalon," she shook her head before smiling. "Everything will be clear then."

"…Where did you find this?" He asked.

"It fell out of your bag," she answered. "I don't know why you have it… But if my thinking is correct, it should help you get some information today."

Link stared at the note. Then, it clicked in his head.

Detective Bellum gave me this! He thought.

_Linebeck nodded. "I'll see ya at the trial tomorrow, then… Oh yeah, on yer way out, throw this away for me, would ya?"_

_He handed Link a crumpled piece of paper from out of his coat pocket._

_"What's this?" Link raised an eyebrow, uncrumpling it, to find out that it had been folded into fourths._

_"Some glasses prescription or something," Linebeck shrugged. "It don't seem to be a piece of evidence. I know Raven didn't wear glasses, and that Tarin girl doesn't have any vision problems based on the investigation we've conducted."_

Link smiled to himself and turned to Ruto. "When did Detective Bellum call you in? For the questioning you just mentioned."

She looked up in thought for a moment. "It was the early evening… Maybe 6:30."

_Now I've got her!_

"Objection!" Link smirked. "Ms. Rutela… You've finally given yourself away."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "I'm… sorry?"

"Because yesterday," he started. "I went to the cafeteria to conduct my own investigation. It was then that Detective Bellum gave me a piece of paper he found on the floor… Is your optometrist a 'Doctor D. Lakeside'?"

"That's him," she nodded. But then her face became serious, almost dark. "…How did you know that?"

"The paper he gave me was a note… written by a doctor of the same name," he smiled in satisfaction. "It was a memo for one of his patients to pick up their glasses from his office at 4:20 PM, the day of the murder."

Ruto gasped sharply, her teeth gritting.

"The only reason Detective Bellum would be able to testify about you having your glasses when he questioned you was because you met with him after you got your new glasses!" Link exclaimed. "And according to this note, you didn't have your old glasses with you earlier that day—when you were in the cafeteria!"

The Zora's eyes widened. "N…N-no! No!"

"Mr. Avalon!" Rauru whirled around at him. "Let me see that memo at once!"

Link handed it to the bailiff, who in turn gave it to Rauru.

"O-objection!" Ganondorf interjected. "What does this have to do with anything!?"

"You've lost your perceptive ability in these six years, I see," Link smirked. The Gerudo just glared him down. "Must I spell it out, Prosecutor Dragmire? Your witness was watching Ms. Tarin and Mr. Ambi, yes… But she couldn't even see what was going on! She's just telling us what she obviously heard from someone else!"

_And I think we both know who it was that gave her the information she needed to testify properly…_

"No!" Ruto slammed her fist against the lectern. "I saw them! I saw that woman poison her!"

"Ms. Rutela…" Rauru spoke softly. "This note is quite definitive. And the prosecution seems to have little to say in your defense."

Ganondorf flinched slightly at that, but he quickly covered it up.

"This whole time, you have asserted that you watched the defendant and the victim very close, and that you saw everything." Rauru rubbed his chin slowly. "But now… It is rather clear that you saw very little. And you claim to still have no motive for watching them?"

"It is not!" She demanded, her voice growing frantic, unstable. "I know what I saw! S-she… That Marin Tarin! She poisoned his coffee! She's just like her! She's a killer! She killed him and she deserves the death penalty for it!"

The courtroom was silent. Ruto was breathing heavily, glaring Link and Marin down. Link could swear that if looks would kill, Ruto would be charged with murder in no time.

_…Just like 'her'?_ Link raised an eyebrow. _Who's 'her'?_

"Mr. Avalon…" Ruto growled. "Are you trying to pin this murder on me!? Is that what you're trying to do!? To save her, right!? Her… Marin Tarin! Don't believe her! She's a murderer!"

"Bailiff," Rauru turned to the men in uniform. "Please escort Ms. Rutela out of the courtroom."

"No! Let go of me! Marin Tarin! She's the killer! A dirty, coldhearted killer! And she ruined my sister's life! She tainted the Rutela family's perfect name! Convict her! Convict her!"

September 4, 2008; 1:03 PM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Court of the Heavenly Goddesses—Courtroom 5

"…Where is Ms. Rutela now?" Rauru asked.

"She's in police custody," Ganondorf spoke slowly. "For her outrageous behavior earlier before this court. She is in police questioning also as a possible suspect in the murder of Raven Ambi, based on her behavior."

"Does this mean that I'm off the hook?" Marin asked Link hopefully.

"Unfortunately, no," Link shook his head, replying in a low whisper. "There's still hard evidence that you're the killer. Ms. Rutela's just being questioned on why she suddenly… lost it earlier."

Marin's lips curled into a disappointed frown. "…I see… I wonder what she meant when she said I ruined her sister's life. I've never even met a Zora up until today."

_I want to know too_, Link thought to himself.

"Well…" Rauru said. "Our only witness for today is in custody, and it is still too early to pass judgment on Ms. Tarin under such circumstances, I believe… Defense, prosecution, I request that you two further look into this case and prepare yourselves for tomorrow when court resumes."

"Very well," Link nodded.

"Understood," Ganondorf replied.

"Excellent," Rauru picked up his gavel and slammed it down. "This trial will continue tomorrow at 10:00 AM sharp. Court is adjourned."

* * *

15,230 rupees is equivalent to 150 dollars. The Doctor Lakeside thing is a reference to the creepy lakeside scientist at Lake Hylia. You know, in the Biggoron Sword quest, he's involved with the part about the eye prescription for King Zora.

Sad news, people: after _Circles_ is completed, I'll be taking a break from fanfiction. The motivation just isn't there for me to really write anymore. So don't be surprised if you don't see anymore oneshots while I'm writing _Circles _unless on special occasions, because I'll be using the last of my creativity of this sucker. It's sad, I know. But _Circles_, I promise you, _will_ be completed. Maybe I'll continue to write after this. Maybe if you mention me in the author's notes of your own stories or make petitions asking me to come back. Haha, even I think that's outrageous. But hey, you never know; it just might work. :)

Learn more about me going through "the change" here: **sirjoshizzle(dot)blogspot(dot)com(slash)2008(slash)04(slash)change(dot)html**

_Enjoy Life and Smile._

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	10. The Rutela Sisters

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Oh my gosh! _Circles_ made over **9600** hits! With only nine chapters!? Whoa nelly, you all make me so happy.

* * *

September 4, 2008; 1:23 PM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Court of the Heavenly Goddesses—Front Steps

The audience from the trial all poured out of the courthouse's front doors at once, chattering and going on about the trial and everything that happened—Detective Bellum's testimony, the rather heated contesting between Link and Ganondorf, but especially how it ended with Ruto Rutela's outbursts. She was taken to the detention center, the same as the one as Marin Tarin's, but in a completely different wing. The two were ordered to be kept away from each other at all times. They were both, after all, under suspicion of a murder, and the way Ruto acted in court and the threats she threw at Marin gave the police that much more of a reason to suspect her.

"Thank you for your trouble today, Mr. Avalon," Marin smiled at Link as she stopped in front of him at the top of the steps. On either side of her was a police guard, the both of them escorting her out and into a police car to take her back to the detention center.

"Of course," Link grinned, shaking his head.

"Will I be seeing you anytime this afternoon?" She asked with a bit of hopefulness in her eyes.

"I'll try," he replied as he shrugged his shoulders slightly. "But if not, I'll see you here tomorrow morning."

"Alright," she nodded, although she was slightly disappointed at his answer. The policeman to her left gestured down the stairs. "This way, Ms. Tarin."

"Yes," she nodded. Before the three of them left, she managed a quick smile at Link. The blonde watched her go down the steps. Her light chestnut hair blew slightly in the sweeping breeze, and her skirt ruffled with each step down she took. As one guard stepped into the driver's seat, the other opened the door for her, letting her in. She bowed softly and stepped inside, the door closing after her. The man got into the front passenger seat, and before long, the police car took off.

"…Zelda…" Was all Link could mutter as he watched the car drive away, cutting through the ocean of skyscrapers. Zelda the first thing he thought of every time he saw or even looked at Marin. Not that anyone could blame him; the likeness was _very _uncanny, and somehow, Zelda meant something to him, in a way he just couldn't understand.

"Thinking about _her_?" A voice said behind him.

The attorney whirled around at the familiar voice to see Shad Ashei standing in front of him with a smile on his face.

"S-Shad?" He stuttered, "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Just coming out from the courtroom," the man shrugged in reply. "You did very well today."

Link raised an eyebrow at that. "What? …You were watching?"

"I wasn't about to miss _this_ trial," Shad chuckled. "Not when I missed your first… I was in the audience behind you. Maybe that's why you didn't see me."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Concentration is everything in court, Link," he said sagely. "I thought it was better not to interrupt… After all, you always did have trouble concentrating way back when."

Link's face couldn't help but twist in confusion at that, creating a look that made Shad laugh.

"…You really haven't changed at all, have you?" Shad teased, but Link just shrugged him off, frowning slightly.

"Whatever…"

"You really did do well, though," Shad nodded, rubbing his chin a bit. "I was... pleasantly surprised how you undid all of that. I guess Zelda's a real motivator here, huh?"

"Ms. Tarin is the one on trial here, Shad," Link replied in a matter-of-fact tone, although what the light blonde said wasn't entirely false.

"True," the lawyer shrugged. "…Ms. Rutela… quite surprised me."

"I'm sure you're not the only one," Link replied. "I never expected her to lose her cool like that."

"…But Link," Shad said, his expression and tone growing serious, "You _do_ know what this means right?"

Link raised an eyebrow slightly. "You mean Ms. Rutela?"

"That's right. She wouldn't have exploded like that—or even lied in the first place—without having a reason for it," Shad explained, though he knew Link already understood. "She claimed to have seen everything, but we all now know that obviously isn't true."

"I get it," Link cut in. "I've got to find out why."

"Exactly," he nodded. "Ms. Rutela's officially another suspect. It's not clear if she committed the murder, but she obviously has a reason for wanting Ms. Tarin guilty so badly. That's enough reason to suspect her of a motive. Half the part of being an attorney is getting your client innocent, Link. The other half is finding out who's setting them up, and why they're doing it."

Link took all his words in closely. _Shad's right. Ms. Rutela, for all I know, could really be the killer here. It sounds far fetched, I'll admit. Maybe the closest she'll ever be is an accomplice to the murder, which would probably shed light on the photo she took of Ms. Tarin and Mr. Ambi… Whatever she was thinking, it all came down to wanting Ms. Tarin guilty… And as she said before the trial ended… Dead._

"I suggest stopping by the detention center to have a talk with Ms. Rutela," Shad told him. "Though she may not be in the mood to cooperate right now, especially with you."

The darker blonde smiled dryly at that. "Right… It's worth a shot, at least."

"And if she doesn't," Shad smirked slightly. "You can always stop by Ms. Tarin and talk with her for a little bit… Something tells me that she would enjoy that."

Link stared blankly at him for a moment, trying to translate that into something he could understand. "…What?"

All Shad could do was chuckle. "You always were clueless back then too. Six years really hasn't done anything to you, huh, Link?"

Link scowled at that, and Shad just laughed softly, patting his old friend on the back.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

September 4, 2008; 1:46 PM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
District Detention Center, Visitor Room 16

As Link entered the visitor's room, which was identical to the one he talked with Marin in the other day, he found that Ruto was already sitting down on her side of the glass. She looked up when she heard Link open the door. Immediately her face twisted into a bit of a scowl, one that Link couldn't help but flinch at.

_I'm obviously not her favorite person right now… _Link mused to himself. _And something tells me that I won't be her favorite teacher this year either._

"When I was told I had another visitor," Ruto said nonchalantly, "I had no idea it was going to be you… Professor."

"'Another visitor'?" Link raised an eyebrow as he pulled his chair out and sat down. "Who?"

"Not that it's any of your business," she snapped coldly, "But Prosecutor Dragmire came in before you. He left a few minutes ago."

Link wasn't all that surprised when she said it was Ganondorf who talked to her before him. He had that sort of feeling, and those feelings he got were usually correct. And if his thinking was right, he told her something along the lines of, "Don't give into that defense attorney."

"What was it you two spoke about?" The blonde asked, but not expecting any sort of real answer.

"Like I said," she shrugged, "It's none of your business… But I will tell you the last thing he said to me before he left."

He looked up at that.

"'Sooner or later, Link Avalon is gonna visit you'," she repeated his words. "'Remember he's the one that put you in this situation. Don't trust him'."

He couldn't help but chuckle to himself. It amazed him just how predictable Ganondorf could be.

"So once I'm proven innocent—which I am—I'm stopping by the university registrar and dropping your class." She told him, looking away to her nails, examining them for a moment.

That didn't surprise him; in fact, he thought it was for the best. _Trying to teach someone I've faced in court seems awkward, anyway._

"Shame," was all Link said. He added, trying to be polite, "I'm sorry that we had to meet personally under these circumstances, Ms. Rutela."

"No apology is needed, Mr. Avalon," the Zora replied in the same courteous tone. "As you said, it's quite the shame. I was rather... ecstatic when I found out that I'd be under the instruction of Hyrule U.'s famous Link Avalon. I suppose I'll have to settle for Professor Adlez, third-rate of a teacher as he may be."

He laughed at that. _Boy, won't Sheik be insulted when I tell him about that._

She heard the chuckle escape his lips, and silently replied with an accusing arch of an eyebrow. He caught sight of her and immediately fell quiet, nervously clearing his throat a few times.

"All that aside," she waved her hand. "Why are you here, Mr. Avalon? A little nice small talk doesn't mean I'm still mad at you."

The remnants of Link's smile faded. _One hell of a rose, this one._

"I came to ask a few questions," he answered, regaining his composure.

"I told you," she said in an exasperated voice. "I did not kill Raven Ambi."

"I never said you killed him," Link shook his head. _I _implied_ it, which is different._ "And I'm not accusing you of it."

…_Not yet, anyway._

"I want to clear up the matter of your testimony," Link said. "It left the courtroom very vague, and you never did finish it. So I want to hear from you what you really saw..." She didn't answer right away, so he spoke again in an attempt to ease her in. "There's no judge or crowd of strangers here to listen in, so you don't have to worry."

"I stand by what I said in court," she nodded. "The picture proves everything."

Link sighed in slight frustration. _This is getting nowhere…_

"You confirmed you have terrible eyesight. You confirmed you were sitting pretty far away from the murder. And you also confirmed that you did not have your glasses on at the time." Link told her, trying to stay calm, but it came out rather sharply. "All that is more than enough reason to question your claim if you really saw what happened. You took a picture, yes, but you're basing your entire testimony on it, and it repeatedly contradicted the facts. And despite all that, you still say you saw everything?"

Ruto gave him a long, hard glare. "Yes."

The attorney reclined in his seat, threw his head back and ran both his hands through his blonde hair, slightly pulling at it. _Farore, why is she so difficult!?_

"You can grow frustrated all you want," Ruto shook her head carelessly, folding her arms across her chest. "I even warned you when you first walked in that I'm not going to work with you."

She had a point, as much as Link hated to admit it. _I really should have seen all of this coming._

"Fine," he replied flatly, facing her. "Let's not talk about that right now… Instead, let's talk about what happened at the end of the trial. Your sudden rash behavior, in particular."

"I will admit that I acted out of line," she frowned at the memory. "But I don't work well under pressure… When I get the feeling of being closed in like that…"

"I understand that," he nodded. "I don't understand, though, the meaning behind what you said back there… Particularly that Ms. Tarin ruined your sister's life. She told me that she's never met a Zora up until this morning when you walked into the courtroom."

"Of course _you _would believe _that_," she rolled her eyes.

_Thank Goddesses I don't have to put up with her in class anymore_.

"But it's true," she said after a short silence, "My sister always harbored ill feelings towards Ms… Tarin, is it now?"

"…I'm sorry?" He knit his brow. "I don't understand."

The Zora looked up from her nails to glance at him for a split second, and looked away. "…I've been told by Mr. Dragmire that the only reason you bothered to help Ms. Tarin is that she reminds you of someone with great… significance in your life."

Link's breath hitched in his throat, his Adam's apple sticking out.

"I can see by your reaction that I'm right," she smiled, but not in a vindictive way, unlike how Ganondorf would. "Prosecutor Dragmire... He told me not to cooperate… unless this subject was brought up."

"…Ms… Ms. Rutela?"

"I suggest dropping by Castle Town Metro High," Ruto told him after a short pause. "Ask for access to the school's academic archive… Lulu Rutela. Look for that name. Your position as one of the more prominent instructors at Hyrule U. should easily give you access."

Now Link was completely lost. He didn't understand Ruto's sudden change in attitude, what anything she was saying meant.

_Why is she helping me all of a sudden? What does going through academic records have anything to do with the case? How was any of it related to Marin like she's saying? …Just what did Ruto and Ganondorf talk about before I came in?_

"What are you talking about, Ms. Rutela?" Link eyed her suspiciously. _Is she just psyching me out or something?_

"Just do as I said, Mr. Avalon," she shook her head. "If anything else, you should be thanking me for giving you this information."

And with that, she stood up and motioned for the exit.

"Wait!" Link stood up, pressing his hands against the desk. "We're not done talking yet!"

"As far as I'm concerned, we are... for now." She shot back in a sharp voice, not turning to face him. Instead, she just kept walking. "Look up Lulu Rutela in Castle Town Metro's archive. Class of 2000. Her record will explain everything. When you come back with the right answer, that's when I'll talk."

And with that, she left, leaving a very confused Link behind.

_What's the meaning of all this? Castle Town Metro's Class of 2000… Look up her sister's name? I guess I have no choice; she's not going to work with me unless I do, _and_ come back with 'the right answer' …For Ms. Rutela's sake, she better be right about this._

* * *

So I think my updates will be a weekly thing, since I don't think I can manage multiple updates in the same week. Thanks for all the hits and support as I go through _the change_. Going over the plot, I think this story is half done. So maybe twenty chapters at the most? I don't know. We'll see. But we are going to find out a lot in the next chapter, so you can look forward to a real WTF!? moment in chapter eleven. :)

Leave a review if you are so inclined. :)

_Enjoy Life and Smile._

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	11. The Archives

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Thanks for helping the following stories pass the following hit marks in the past week: _Sensei_ (23,000), _A World of Lies_ (16,000), and _Fourth of July_ and _Walk Me Home _(1,000). It looks like _When Zelda Met Link_ is gonna be the next oneshot to pass 1000 (seven other oneshots already have).

* * *

September 4, 2008; 2:15 PM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Castle Town Metropolitan High School, Quad

The quad, which was located in the heart of Castle Town Metro High School, was full of life as the dismissal bell rung across the campus of one of the city's largest schools. Teens poured out of classrooms in waves, filling the open-air halls with the chattering of students conversed with each other on the latest gossip, the pinging and dial tones of cell phones, and the din of all the latest in-style shoes tapping against the concrete as everyone walked all at once.

Being back on the school's campus brought back so many memories to Link. After all, he was an alumnus himself—his graduating class' valedictorian, no less. His past teachers instantly recognized him and talked with him on what he's been up to since his high school days, and the newer ones came up to him, saying they had heard great things about him.

But like at Hyrule University, he garnered the attention of half the student body's females as he walked by their cliques, giggling girlishly and blushing furiously, some even surreptitiously taking pictures of him with their cell phones. He didn't really mind it all that much, as he grew used to it through his college and grad school days, and even as he walked down Hyrule U.'s halls, arrogant as it may sound. He did, however, knit his brow slightly whenever he heard the occasional shutter sound from a cell phone go off.

"Excuse me," Link said, gently pushing his way through the crowds. "Sorry… Pardon me…"

After swimming upstream the endless sea of teenagers, he finally reached the administration building. Before entering, he looked back at the quad behind him. The walls of the buildings were plastered with student-made posters welcoming returning and new students, advertising the school's various clubs and try-outs for the sports, cheer, auxiliary, academic and dance teams, and the back-to-school pep rally that was to take place the next day.

_This school hasn't changed one bit_, he smiled softly before turning back to enter the admin building.

Link walked up to the front desk, eyeing the cases filled with trophies accumulated by the school's clubs and teams on his way. A wave of nostalgia swept past him; a few of them were earned by the teams he was on.

"Good afternoon," the redheaded woman at the desk smiled at him.

"Hello," Link smiled back as he nodded slightly.

"A parent of one of our students?" She asked. This gained a small chuckle from the blonde.

"Ah, not quite…" Link shook his head. "I'm actually an alumnus here."

She nodded deeply, sighing nostalgically. "Ahh, I see. What class?"

He smirked slightly. "Class of 1993… _Way_ back in the day."

It was then it occurred to him just how old he really was. _Damn. Fifteen years since I graduated high school… And girls are_ still _looking at me like I'm fresh out of college._

The receptionist laughed at that. "Indeed it was! So, how may I help you today?"

"I was wondering if I could meet with Principal Darunia Fyrus," he asked with a bit of hopefulness.

"You have a meeting with him?" She asked.

"Something like that," he shrugged.

The woman nodded and said that she was going to get him. But just as she stood up, a Goron walked out of one of the office's many rooms.

"…Avalon!? …That you!?"

Link looked up at the almost bombastic mentioning of his name. Standing in the doorway of one of the offices was none other than Principal Darunia Fyrus. The Hylian broke out into a grin at the sight of the Goron, who was walking over to him. Pushing his way past the swinging door that separated the waiting area from the inside of the office, he took Link's hand into both his large ones for a handshake so hearty Link could have sworn his arm slightly disjointed from it.

"Link, how've you been!?" Darunia's voice boomed, wrapping an arm around Link's neck. "The glasses are gone… You're a little taller… Yer chin could use a good shave, but it's definitely you!"

"I'm doing fine, Darunia," Link laughed. _Fifteen years hasn't done a thing to him_. "I'm still wearing glasses, but I use contacts more now. How're things doing around here?"

"Good, good!" The principal nodded his head. "Please, come into my office! It's been a while since you've stopped by!"

Darunia led Link into his office, closing the door behind him. Link took in his surroundings, smiling to himself as the memories came back. He's had his share of visits to Darunia Fyrus' office as a student, though most of them not necessarily for disciplinary reasons—if any of them were for that purpose at all.

"Goddesses, Link…" Darunia sighed as he took a seat at his desk and gestured for Link to sit down in front of him. "It's been so long."

"Fifteen years, I believe," Link nodded in agreement, sitting down in the red leather chair.

"What have you been up to all this time?" The blue-eyed Goron asked him. "You wanted to be a lawyer, didn't you? I remember you applying for all these colleges with law as yer major."

The blonde smiled slightly. "Yeah… But I'm a teacher now."

Darunia's brow shot up at that. "That so, huh? …Wow… How's that workin' out? Where're ya teachin'?"

"I'm a history professor at Hyrule University," Link replied. _Kinda surprised he doesn't know that…_

"Well good for you," Darunia grinned. "I always knew you'd make something out of yourself… But what happened to bein' an attorney? Change your mind or something?"

"Oh…" Link paused for a moment. "I, ah… I double-majored. I took teaching with emphasis on Hylian history, and law."

_It's not the truth… But then again, it's not a lie, either._

"Ambitious as always, aren't you?" The Goron chuckled. "...Got yourself a family?"

That made Link laugh. "No, I don't... Bet you thought that I would by now though, huh?"

"Actually, I did," he replied. "You always did have a way with the girls when you were here... Or are you still playing the field? If I remember, you always did have more girls hanging around you than guys."

Link chuckled softly. _I guess... Girls always outnumbered the guys in my circle of friends... Not that I have a problem with that... Maybe I should find a girl to settle down with._

Darunia sighed after a moment. "Glad to see you so doing so well, Link... So now we're caught up, what can I do for you?"

Link didn't know how to tell him. How was he going to ask? Just tell him directly, he needed access to the school's archives? How was he going to explain himself if he was asked why it was needed? It wasn't so much that he didn't want to tell him why… It was that the case was all too much of a personal matter. It was just too long of a story to explain over and over.

"I was wondering…" Link trailed off slowly. "How do I ask this…? Do you think you can let me into the school's academic archives?"

Darunia gave him an odd look for a second. "Need it for something?"

The blonde rubbed the back of his neck shortly. "For school… For one of my students, I mean. She needs me to look into a transcript."

_Hey, that wasn't a whole lie either. Damn, I'm good._

"…Well," the principal started. "I… suppose so. If it's that kind of matter…" He turned to his computer and typed something on the keyboard, moving the mouse against the pad here and here. "Here you go, Link."

Link's eyebrows went up in questioning as he slightly got up from his chair to peer into what was on the monitor.

"Here, you can come over," Darunia motioned for him to move behind his desk next to him, and Link silently obeyed. "Here are the school's academic records. Every graduating class we've had is in here… Doubt you'll need to go so far back though, right?"

Link chuckled at that. "Yeah, I suppose."

Darunia got up from his seat and gestured for Link to sit in it. "Go ahead."

"Oh," the blonde looked up at him. "You're going somewhere?"

"I have a teacher's meeting," Darunia replied, dusting off his suit. "The printer's over there if you need it," he pointed his thumb behind him, "and make sure you log out when you're finished, okay?

"Alright," Link nodded. "Thank you, Darunia."

"Sure thing," the Goron grinned. He took out a business card from the breast pocket of his blazer and handed it to Link. "Here's my number, so we can stay in touch later on."

"Thank you." He smiled. Darunia returned the gesture, and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Link stared at the monitor. Everything was organized in a table of three columns: on the left was the graduating class, in the middle was the number of students in the respective class, and the year's first and last day of school. The first on the list was the school's first graduating class, Class of 1964, and it all went down from there.

_Okay…_ Link said to himself, mentally rubbing his palms together. _Class of 2000… Although it couldn't hurt…_

Curiosity getting the better of him, Link scrolled down, running his index finger over the trackball of the mouse, until he reached his year, Class of 1993. He double-clicked on it, and in a second the table reorganized itself as the content of the columns changed: student name, student ID number, birth date, and cumulative GPA respectively. He organized it so that the GPA numbers descended, and there was his name at the top of the list.

Link smiled softly at the list of the 750 people in his class. Most of them he recognized instantly—his best friends, the girls he went out with, and the popular people. But he frowned to himself slightly; it was a shame he never regularly kept in touch with his classmates except for a few people, and even then he rarely talked with them. He never attended his class reunions; looking through the list of all too familiar names, he felt compelled to go to the next one.

But then he remembered the reason he came here; to get information of Ruto's sister, Lulu Rutela. Clicking the back button, he scrolled down a little bit more until he got to the Class of 2000. He double-clicked the link, and there it was.

_Let's see… Castle Town Metro Keatons Class of 2000… Graduating student count, 653… Promotion ceremony held at the HCT Metrodome, Emerald Ward…_

"Ruto said this morning she graduated at the top of her class," Link said aloud. "Her family prides on perfection and academic excellence, so her sister should have been valedictorian as well… Let's just organize by GPA…"

He clicked the heading of the GPA column to reorganize the list in descending order, but what he found was that Lulu Rutela was not her class' top student; she finished the year as salutatorian. But that wasn't what made Link's blood turn cold and the hairs on his arms stand on end.

Class of 2000 valedictorian: Marin Harkinian.

Link suddenly felt a rush of vertigo as the name at the top of the list stared him straight in the eye. His contacts weren't failing on him. He was sure it wasn't a goof up in a name. That's what it said: Marin Harkinian. And third on the list beneath Marin and Lulu's names was none other than Zelda Harkinian.

_This… This can't be…_ Link swallowed deeply, hurting his Adam's apple slightly. _Marin… and Zelda…_

He clicked on the three names, opening them up in tabs. He looked first at Marin's profile, and make no mistake, there was her class picture—and she looked exactly like Zelda and Marin Tarin.

She graduated with a perfect 5.0—she took all Advanced Placement classes and passed all of them. She was accepted into Hyrule University's journalism department as a sophomore, so she was a junior by the time Zelda was applying for sophomore registration when Kafei Kaminogi was killed.

_It all comes together now_, Link said to himself. _Lulu was obviously striving to be her class' valedictorian, but Marin beat her to it… This is what Ruto meant when she said Marin ruined her sister's life... And this Marin Harkinian… This is Marin Tarin! I knew it! I knew that she was lying to me when she said she wasn't related to her!_

But solving that mystery led to yet another: why did Marin change her last name, and why did she repeatedly deny any relations to Zelda Harkinian?

He clicked on the tab with Zelda's profile, and once again, his thinking was right. She graduated with the same GPA as Lulu, but she was selected against for salutatorian because of her lacking in extracurricular activities and community service in comparison to her. She was accepted into Hyrule University's history department… That was Zelda, alright. The pictures of Zelda and Marin were exactly the same; Link thought for a second that they just used the picture of one of the Harkinian sisters twice for both of them.

_I have all the information I need now…_ _I'll just print these bad boys out and—_

The door swung open, and a soft female's voice followed.

"Mr. Fyrus, before you leave for the meeting—"

Link jumped up startled, and his head shot up, and who he saw completely shocked him senseless.

It was a woman. A redheaded woman with deep brown eyes, and a face that brought back one too many memories.

"Malon…" He stuttered. "…Malon Romani?"

She stared at him for the longest time, her mouth slightly open and her eyes bugging out. She didn't say anything. And without warning, ran out of the room.

"Ms. Romani!" Link called after her. He got up from the swivel chair, almost knocking it over in the process, and ran towards the door. "Ms. Romani!"

He stopped at the doorway, whirling around to search for the woman. To the left, running out of the admin building's door, was the woman he just saw, Malon Romani. He watched her run across the quad with surprising speed, her wearing rather high heels.

_Ms. Romani…_ Memories from the trial six years ago came flooding back into his mind. _Was that really you?_

But his train of thought was interrupted by the pinging of the printer. He looked back into the room at the printer, which was on a chest behind Darunia's desk. The profiles for Marin, Ruto and Zelda just finished printing.

Link sighed softly, and taking one last look at Malon, who disappeared between the 400 and 500 buildings, walked back into the office to retrieve his papers.

_This is crazy_… Link shook his head as he pulled the papers out of the tray. He turned around to close the window on the monitor before taking one last look at Zelda's picture. _And I hate to say it… I think I really do owe Ms. Rutela a deal of thanks for leading me to all this._

* * *

You know what website you should go to? **Hyrule(dot)net**. It's way better than The Hylia. For what reason? Well, I'm a staff member there, after all! Yep, more than half the news articles you find on the front page are all by me, suckaa! When you register, put in "4296" under "Referral ID number" so they know that I sent you. So after _Circles_ is completed and I take my leave from fanfiction (no, I have not changed my mind, unfortunately), you'll most likely be using HyruleNet as your best bet to communicate with me (alongside email, AIM, Myspace, Facebook, deviantART, Wii messaging, and private messaging). Everyone there loves me. Especially Dustin, the website owner. :D

So that's it for now. Hopefully I'll have the next up on Friday in time for my birthday (hint, hint... All I want for my birthday is a review :p).

Cool people review. Cooler people click favorite and story alert. :)

_Enjoy Life and Smile_.

* * *


	12. Revenge and Extortion

* * *

Happy sixteenth birthday to me! So like, in the past week, this story passed 11,000 hits and _Charm Bracelet_ 21,000! Thank you very very much. I enjoy you all profusely. :) And because I love you all so much, I combined what were originally two separate chapters into one long one here! Even on my birthday, I like to give more than I do receive.

PS: In the second half of the chapter, those who read _Sensei_ will get a rush of deja vu. It's a throwback to the good ol' days. This is, after all, my last story.

* * *

September 4, 2008; 3:52 PM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
District Detention Center, Visitor Room 16

Link sat down in the chair in front of the glass, waiting patiently for Ruto to come back in. As he waited, he pulled out the files he got from Darunia's computer, reading over the profiles of the three women closely.

_Marin and Zelda_, he thought as he stared at their pictures. _They really do look alike, like Zelda said that day…_

It still made no sense to him as to why Marin kept denying her sisterhood with Zelda. Was there any reason to hide how they were related? He wondered if she knew if Zelda, her sister, was dead prior to him telling her that morning. He suddenly felt that he couldn't trust her… Her story, anyway. Being raised in Koholint all her life, that is. He wondered just how much of living on the island and transferring to the university was true.

He looked over to Lulu's file. She looked like an older version of Ruto. He had to say that her transcript was very impressive, though not as much as Marin's was. She maintained a perfect grade average all four years of high school, and every university she applied to accepted her, some even on full scholarship. Seeing it right in front of his eyes helped him understand better why Lulu would probably be bitter towards Marin for taking away her spot as the class' valedictorian… Or at least Ruto's stance, anyway.

He heard the door open, and sure enough, it was Ruto who walked in. She took a seat on the other side of the glass and smiled politely at him.

"Hello again, Mr. Avalon."

"Hello," he nodded. "So I stopped by the high school like you said."

Her brow went up slightly. "Did you find anything that… interested you?"

"More than you know," he chuckled. He pushed Lulu's profile through the hole in the glass towards her. She accepted it and a smile crept up on her lips as she laid eyes on the picture of her sister.

"That's her, alright…" She said. "She goes to Hyrule U.'s Water Campus."

"I see," he replied. "I also found something else…" He gave her Marin's paper. She looked at it, and it couldn't help but laugh.

"I distinctly remember her last name being 'Tarin'."

"That's what I thought…" He shook his head.

"It's true though," she told him in a serious voice. "Your Marin Tarin is actually this woman here… Marin Harkinian."

He just stared at her.

"I make no mistake," she shook her head. "I was at my sister's graduation ceremony. I saw Marin Harkinian with my own eyes. And even if you don't believe me… it's documented right here."

He fell silent for a moment, staring at Zelda's picture in his heads. "Was there a Zelda Harkinian there too?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I actually thought the woman I saw in the cafeteria that day was her… I may be blind without my glasses, Mr. Avalon, but I never forget a face… Especially one that looks like that of someone who ruined my sister's life."

"Your sister must have been upset when she found out Marin bested her," he mused.

"She was beyond upset," she chuckled nostalgically. "She was _devastated_. She dreamed of nothing but being the best, to graduate at the top. And when she found out she was selected against for valedictorian, she was… words can't begin to describe how bad it was. I promised her that I'd be my class' top student. That's why I worked so hard like the way I did."

"To redeem your sister?" He insinuated.

"I suppose you can put it like that," she shrugged. "I also promised her that I'd get the Harkinian sisters back… When I found out Zelda was dead, it made the job that much easier… I didn't have to worry about getting my revenge on the wrong one."

He eyed her suspiciously. "…You were going to kill her."

"Oh no," she shook her head vigorously. "Believe me, Mr. Avalon. I was out for revenge, but I promise you I had no intention of killing anyone… But when I saw her, Marin Harkinian, at the cafeteria the day of Mr. Ambi's murder…"

It clicked in his head at that moment. The intentions behind the photo of Marin and Raven. "The picture…"

"Kafei Kaminogi's murder was all over the news back then," she said. "Poisoned in the cafeteria of Hyrule University… The accused was his own girlfriend… I knew Raven Ambi was a pretty well-known prosecutor. And when I saw Marin… With that new defense attorney... It was like reading the articles on on Mr. Kaminogi all over again."

"So you took the picture," he nodded. "You used it to incriminate her for the crime, and you volunteered to testify against her today."

"Precisely," she nodded. "It was just chance that the scruffy detective called me in for interrogation. I had planned to visit the precinct the whole time… Just so happens that I was contacted before I went there myself."

"That's why you went crazy back there near the end of the trial," he said. "It was looking pretty clear that you didn't see what you claimed you saw. That's why you were insisting that she be convicted regardless… All because you wanted revenge."

She said nothing.

"If you were successful," he said in a slightly scolding tone, "In getting Marin guilty, that is, she would have been killed anyway… She faces the death penalty if she's found guilty, you know."

"…Looking back," she started after a short silence with a slight frown on her face, "I went out of line… My sister still holds a grudge towards her, but she just let it go… I pursued it, and I'm not even involved in it."

"You want to make things right?"

"I'd apologize to Ms. Tarin… Ms. Harkinian… _Marin_," she shrugged, "But I'm not allowed anywhere near her, and the same goes for her with me. Even if I was, though, I doubt she'd accept it."

"I'm sure Marin would," Link smiled reassuringly. "I don't know Marin that well, but I know enough to know she isn't one to… hold a grudge."

Ruto smiled sheepishly at that.

"…I'll tell you what," Link said. He clasped his hands together and held them to his lips, resting his elbows on the table. "I'll inquire for your release—I'll pay bail, if I have to—if you apologize to Marin."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "Would you really do that? You don't have to, really. I can just call my sister to—"

"You said you were looking forward to being in my class," he smiled earnestly. "And I really do feel bad we had to meet personally under these circumstances… Lets just say that this is my way of apologizing to you for putting you in this situation… My last act as your teacher."

Ruto was quiet for a moment before she smiled softly and nodded. "…Fine... Thank you, Mr. Avalon."

"Don't mention it," he shook his head. "But if you're going to mention the part about your sister to her, please wait until after I talk to her myself."

"Why's that?"

Marin flashed in his head for a split second as she asked that. "She's still not admitting who she really is. If you tell her about your sister, she'll just feign ignorance… I'm going over to her and I'm gonna get the truth out of her… She's in no position to lie this time now that I have proof."

She smiled softly at his determination as she handed back Lulu and Marin's profiles. _You really are something, Mr. Avalon_.

"Thank you," he whispered quietly, accepting the papers and putting them back in his laptop case. "I'm off to meet with Marin now."

"I should be going as well," she nodded, getting up from her chair. "I think I'm due for another questioning."

"I'll make sure of your release then," he chuckled. He bowed his head slightly, and without another word, left the room.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

September 4, 2008; 4:12 PM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
District Detention Center, Lobby

"Why can't I meet with her?"

Link furrowed his brow at the receptionist.

"I'm sorry, sir," she shook her head, "But visiting hours are over."

He checked his watch. It was 4:13. "But it's only four o'clock!"

"And that's when visiting hours are over!" She replied quickly. Link just grunted and walked away, making for the exit.

_Damn_, he cursed in his head. _Isn't 4:00 a little bit too early to close?_

As he stepped outside, a soft chill swept by him. _I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow…_

He reached into his pocket and pulled out Darunia's business card. He eyed his cell phone number for a second. _I wonder if he's done with that meeting… Should be by now._

He took out his cell phone and input the digits of the phone number onto the keypad, his thumb darting across the large touch screen. He held the earpiece to his ear.

"Hello? Darunia, it's me Link…" He smiled at the sound of the Goron's deep voice. "I'm fine… Yeah, I found everything okay. Thanks again for letting me use your computer… Yeah, I need a favor… Does a Malon Romani work at the school or something? …Oh, no reason… She just came in while I was working in your office. Yeah, that's where my favor comes in… Do you know where she lives?"

**- - - - - - - - - -**

September 4, 2008; 4:38 PM  
Emerald Ward, Light Prefecture  
Romani Residence, Front Door

Link looked at the address he got from Darunia he typed into his phone. It was the street he gave him, and the house numbers matched. This was where Malon Romani lived.

It looked like a standard middle class home, maybe bordering middle upper class. Two cars were parked in the driveway; Link's was on the curb in front of the house. The grass on the front yard was a lively green and smelled freshly cut.

He stared at the doorbell for a second before pushing on it once, the chime echoing from inside. He moved back a step, waiting patiently for someone to answer. Before long, the door opened, and there was Malon Romani standing in front of him. The smile on her face faded as their eyes connected. Her mouth was slightly open, her wide eyes staring up at him.

"…Ms. Romani, I—" Link started, but before he could continue, she swiftly moved to slam the door. Unfortunately for her, his reflexes outdid her as he pushed his hand forward towards the door in the blink of an eye, keeping it from closing on him.

"Mr. Avalon…" She shook her head, her voice a mere grunt as she put both hands on the doorknob, trying with her might to best him. "I have nothing to say to you."

"You don't even know why I'm here!" He shot back, leaning forward so that he was hovering over her. "…I just want to talk to you."

"Like I said," she shook her head, "I have nothing to say. P-please…. Please leave, Mr. Avalon."

"Five minutes," he pleaded, looking down at her, as she was a full head shorter. "Five minutes of your time is all I ask."

She stared into his eyes, her weight against the door slowly slipping. He detected this and he lowered his own pressure.

"…Please?" He gave her an earnest look.

It was a few seconds before she finally let down her defenses. She opened the door, and he quickly withdrew his hand so he didn't fall on top of her or something. She stepped aside for him to enter.

"…Come in," she spoke softly, motioning for him to do so. He smiled softly and walked in.

The living room was decorated in a way one would consider homely, reminiscent of a farm or a place of that nature. Pictures of horses adorned the walls, which were painted in earthy tones. It looked as if she lived alone.

"My husband isn't home," she said, closing the door.

_So she's married, _he nodded. He stole a glance of the wedding band on her finger. _Yep, there it is_.

"You, ah… have a nice home," he said.

"Thank you," she replied. "We both grew up in Hyrule Field Prefecture… I'm a farm girl at heart, as you can see."

He smiled softly.

"Oh!" She gasped. "P-please, sit down… Would you like anything to drink?"

"No, thank you," he shook his head as he took a seat on the sofa. "I don't be staying long."

She sat down on a lounge chair perpendicular to him. She crossed her legs, shifting uncomfortably a bit.

"I didn't know you work at Castle Town Metro," he said after a short silence. "I thought you were studying to be a nurse."

"I'm the school nurse there," she replied. "My husband's a doctor at the Navy hospital."

"He's in the military?" He raised an eyebrow. That hospital she was talking about, after all, was on the Navy base.

"Yes," she answered. "He's a doctor, though. So he's never been deployed for combat or anything like that."

He nodded slowly. "…Ms. Romani… I wanted to talk to you about the trial six years ago… When we first met."

She winced slightly, though inside she had been anticipating that.

"I remember after your testimony you looked rather…" He frowned at the discomfort he was blatantly causing her. "…Distraught."

"…What is there to talk about? ...I-I did my part in testifying."

"Yes," he nodded. "But when I saw you at the school, you just ran off. And just a few minutes ago you tried to slam the door in my face… Not to sound suspicious of you, Ms. Romani… But I think there's something between us I feel we should clear up."

She looked up from the ground to stare him in the eye. "Mr. Avalon, I bear no ill feeling towards you."

"No, no," he shook her head. "I'm not talking about anything like that… By the way, the same goes for me towards you… It's nothing personal at all. It's just the matter of that trial… Why you lied in your testimony."

She gasped sharply at that. He took that as a sign that she had her own reasons, like how Ruto did. And by the way she was reacting, they were a whole lot worse than seeking revenge on anyone.

"…I can't tell you that," she shook her head. She caught a glimpse of the attorney's badge pinned over his heart. "…You're still an attorney?"

"…Part time, I suppose you can say," he shrugged, humoring the change in subject. "I'm actually a professor at Hyrule U. now."

Her eyes widened at that. "Then all the more reason that I can't tell you! P-please, Mr. Avalon…"

"What's wrong?" He asked with concern. Her growing uneasiness was beginning to worry him. "Why can't you tell me?"

She stared at him for a moment. He added, "Is it because I'm a teacher that you can't tell me?"

With hesitation, the redheaded nurse nodded slowly.

Link rubbed the back of his neck, searching for something to say that would calm her down. "…Then what if I told you that it's against my ethical policy as an educator that I divulge academic information on my students?"

"…I'm not your student."

"You're grasping straws, Ms. Romani," he chuckled softly. "Whether you're my student or not, what you're hiding from me is clearly related to academics. And it's against my job as a teacher to tell anyone anything… Think of it like a priest hearing confessions. They're not supposed to talk about the confessions they hear, right?"

She nodded. Malon wasn't exactly a religious person, but she knew that was the case.

"Then it's the same principle," he smiled reassuringly. "No matter how bad it is, I won't tell anyone… I promise."

Malon swallowed hard, taking a deep breath. She twiddled her thumbs slowly as she spoke. "…You know of the Junior-Senior Advanced Placement Test?"

He smiled at that. "I know it."

The Junior-Senior Advanced Placement Test, often abbreviated JSAPT, was an annual optional examination for high school juniors on senior and college level knowledge. If one scored sufficiently, he or she was given the opportunity to skip the remainder of their junior year straight to their senior year regardless of grades. It wasconsidered one of the hardest and by far one of the most expensive tests a student could take; fifteen thousand took it annually, and only one-fifth passed, a vast majority of them just barely making the minimum score.

"I passed it," she said.

He grinned at that. "That's great! I remember I took the test when I was a junior… I was one damn question short of passing." He grimaced at the memory, of how mad he was when he got the results back, how hard he punched his bedroom wall, how much his fist bled afterwards, how loud his parents yelled at him and how much it cost him to pay for the reparations.

"I cheated on it."

His smile faded. Cheating on the JSAPT was seen in the eyes of educators practically as a criminal offense. If one was caught or even suspected of cheating, their test was voided, it went on their transcript, and he or she was detained as a junior. Most colleges deny students who have cheating on the JSAPT on their records regardless of how high his or her GPA is.

"You weren't caught?"

"No," she shook her head.

_She's damn lucky, I'll give her that,_ he thought. _Surveillance over the students while that test is out is tight_.

"…What does this have to do with the trial, though?" He asked.

"That prosecutor," she whispered. "The Gerudo."

His frown of concern instantly twisted into a bitter scowl. _Ganondorf._

"He found out," she told him. "Somehow. He had proof. He had proof that I cheated… He used it to get me to testify against that woman."

He put his hand on her shoulder to calm her down. It helped some, but not enough. He made sure not to grip too tight; inside, he was boiling in fury towards the Gerudo prosecutor.

"…I saw the prosecutor come in that day," she added. "I saw him sprinkle something into the victim's cup. And he saw me see him do it… And when he forced me to come in as a witness, he blackmailed me with the cheating."

"I see," Link nodded. "That's why you kept insisting on Zelda's guiltiness for the killing. If you didn't cooperate or if you failed to get her guilty…"

"He was going to release the proof to the public," she choked. "And punishment for cheating on the test is even harder if you're caught subsequently."

He was fully aware of the consequences. He just didn't want to even think of what would have happened to her if the information got out. But something still confused him.

"But you did fail in getting Zelda guilty," he furrowed his brow. "And he didn't talk?"

"…Extortion," she squeaked out almost inaudibly.

His eyes widened in horror.

"One-fourth of what I make in a month," she said. "That's what I've been paying him to keep quiet… for six years."

Her face shot up to give him a pleading look. "Please don't—"

"I won't tell," he shook his head in a firm, comforting voice. "I promised you I wouldn't tell anyone…" _And as much as it pains me to say this… _"I won't talk to Ganondorf about it either…"

She smiled in relief.

"Teacher's honor, remember?" He chuckled, and she couldn't help but giggle in reply. She wiped the corners of her eyes free of the tears that were brimming them. "Thank you, Mr. Avalon."

"No," he shook his head. "Thank _you_, Ms. Romani."

_Ganondorf… I swear. Tomorrow, you're going down._

* * *

Did you get the JSAPT thing? Get a rush of nostalgia? I know I did when I wrote it. :p

This is the final chapter in the second investigation scene, meaning next chapter starts up day two (and the final day) of the trial! Heads up: the next three chapters comprise the finale of this here _Circles_, and I guarantee you all will enjoy it. I'm not going to be doing weekly updates anymore; I want to take my time with the next three chapters to make them the best they can be (like the army!). But on my blog, you all will get a heads up as to when each chapter will be coming out, so check up over there regularly, okay?

All I want for my birthday is a review. :)

_Enjoy Life and Smile_.

* * *


	13. Marin's Confession

* * *

Thanks for the reviews and helping _When Zelda Met Link_ become my eighth oneshot (and thirteenth story overall) to surpass 1,000 hits!

To answer your question, haha169, yes, I planned the JSAPT thing from the beginning. I had every character's role written down before I started writing anything. But truth be told, there are characters that I tweaked as I wrote, or characters I intended to include but didn't make the final product at all. Such examples are Impa (I originally planned for her to reappear in the Marin arc of the plot) and Nabooru (I wrote her in at first to be an accomplice to the murderer in the Marin arc, but I ultimately left her out).

That being said, please enjoy part one of the finale to _Circles_. :)

* * *

September 5, 2008; 9:57 AM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Court of the Heavenly Goddesses—Defendant Lobby 5

Link paced the ground nervously, fiddling with the buttons of his gambler's vest. He kept pulling his cell phone out of his back pocket to check the time. It was two minutes before the trial restarted, and Marin Tarin was nowhere to be found.

_Dammit, where is she!?_ Link cursed in his head. _Court's about to start!_

He had planned to talk to her about what he found out the other day… That she was in fact related to Zelda Harkinian. He had the papers prepared and everything. He planned to stand right in front of the door to the defendant's lobby. The second she walked in, the first thing she would see would be her—Marin Harkinian's—high school profile. It was all planned out perfectly. Except one thing: she wasn't there.

He glanced at a few papers that were resting next to his laptop case on the sofa. Earlier when he walked in, he was given scans of Marin's documents—her passport, her transcript from Tal Tal University, the registration papers from Hyrule University, her ID card, her Koholint driver's license, her social security papers, information of that nature.

"Mr. Avalon," he heard a voice say his name. He turned out, and the bailiff's head was poking out of the crack between the doors.

"We're ready for you."

The blonde grit his teeth together tightly as he furrowed his brow. _Dammit, Marin…_

He reluctantly grabbed his laptop case from off the sofa and headed to the doors to the courtroom. With one last look to the doors across from him that lead to the hallways, he walked in, nervous of what everyone would think and say when he came in with no client.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

September 5, 2008; 10:00 AM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Court of the Heavenly Goddesses—Courtroom 5

Link tapped his foot against the desk and twirled his pen between his fingers nervously. Marin had still not shown up. On the other hand, Ganondorf was at his bench, smiling proudly, prepared and all, and Rauru was giving the blonde a very expecting stare.

"Court is once again ready to begin for the trial of Ms. Marin Tarin." Rauru announced, slamming down his gavel. "Prosecutor Dragmire seems to be ready… You, Mr. Avalon, on the other hand…"

Link flinched slightly at that.

"Do not… Where is Ms. Tarin, anyway?"

The defense attorney chuckled softly. "…You see, Your Honor… I'd kind of like to know myself…"

The audiences on both sides of the courtroom started mumbling softly, but they were silenced by Rauru.

"Doesn't this sound familiar?" Ganondorf mumbled softly, but loud enough for Link to hear. The Hylian glared him down, the fist in his pocket balling up tightly and his heart beating rapidly.

_He didn't… He wouldn't dare…_

All of a sudden, the doors flew open, and standing before the court was Marin Tarin, clearly out of breath.

"I'm here!" She exclaimed, trying to catch her breath. "I-I'm here…"

"Ms. Tarin!" Rauru met her eyes with a hard look. "An explanation for your lateness, please!"

"The traffic," she simply replied as she walked over to Link's side. "The traffic, Your Honor…"

"Hmm…" He rubbed his chin. "…Make sure it doesn't happen again."

_That's assuming there _is _a next time…_

She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Your Honor…" She looked over at Link and shot a quick smile. He returned the gesture, albeit weakly.

_Marin…_

"Now we can formally begin this trial," Rauru said. "We left off yesterday with the testimony of Ruto Rutela. It has come to my understanding that she was released late yesterday, though."

"She has," Link nodded. "Through my investigations…" He stole a glance at Marin, "She is not a potential suspect for the murder of Mr. Ambi like we first thought."

"I see," Rauru replied. "So we're left with one person…" He looked squarely at Marin.

"Unless Mr. Avalon here can somehow find another possible suspect," Ganondorf gestured to Link with his right hand, "I believe so."

"Very well." Rauru stacked a few papers on his desk neatly and clasped his hands together in his lap. "Mr. Dragmire, before court adjourned yesterday afternoon, I asked you to conduct your own investigation, much like Mr. Avalon has done so. I trust that you've come prepared with a new witness?"

"I have, Your Honor."

"In the prosecutor's lounge, I presume?"

The prosecutor shook his head at that. "No, Your Honor… She is in this very courtroom!"

Link cocked his head, as well as an eyebrow, up at that. _She's in here?_ He scanned the audiences. _Who is she?_

Ganondorf smiled softly. "Ms. Tarin, if you would now?"

The blonde whirled around to the brunette next to him, staring at her in complete confusion. "Marin!?"

The judge silenced the chattering with a swing of his gavel. "Wait a minute! You mean to say that the prosecution's witness… is the defendant herself!?"

"Right, Your Honor," Ganondorf nodded. "Yesterday I had a visit with Ms. Tarin. She volunteered to testify for today's trial… It seems like she has a certain confession to make."

Everyone in the courtroom had their eyes on Marin, who was just looking forward confidently, her back straight.

"…Is this true, Ms. Tarin?" Rauru asked her.

"…It is, Your Honor," Marin nodded without looking at him. Her eyes just stared into space, not making contact with anything in particular.

"…Then by all means," he gestured towards the witness stand.

Link watched her intently as she left his side for the podium that stood before everyone. He was trembling nervously, anxious as to what she had to say. _Marin… Why didn't you discuss this with me first?_

Marin cleared her throat softly, holding her fist to her hand as she did so.

"Your name and occupation," Ganondorf told her.

"Marin Tarin," she replied. Link said nothing. "I'm a student at Hyrule University."

"Witness," Rauru looked at her. "I'm sure I speak for everyone when I ask this… Just what is it that you want to tell this court?"

She paused for a split second, taking in a deep breath as she did so. "I want to… apologize to Mr. Avalon for the trouble I caused him."

The blonde raised an eyebrow at that. "…Ms. Tarin?"

Her throat muscles were clearly defined as she swallowed hard. "I am the one who killed Raven Ambi."

The entire court was in uproar at that statement. Rauru repeatedly tried to quiet everyone, but to no avail. Ganondorf seemed unfazed by it; he just looked at her emotionlessly, tapping his index finger against the desk. Link, however, was in total shock. He stared wide-eyed at her, unable to comprehend it.

…_Marin!? _You _killed him!? …Are you telling me the truth? Are you telling everyone the truth? All of a sudden… It's so hard to believe anything you say anymore… But I know one thing._

"Objection!" Link slammed both his hands on top of the desk, immediately silencing the entire courtroom. "…You're lying, Ms. Tarin!"

Marin looked at him with an almost pained frown. "No. It's the truth, Mr. Avalon… I've been lying this whole time."

"No!" He shook his head vigorously, unwilling to accept it. "You're innocent!"

"Mr. Avalon," Rauru looked at him sympathetically. "If the accused is admitting to her crime, then there leaves little room for doubt…"

"Avalon," Ganondorf spoke, and the attorney looked at him. "If you're so skeptical, then how about we hear what she has to say? A confession is nothing without an explanation."

"…Ms. Tarin," the judge looked at her. "…Before this trial concludes, please give us your motive for your murder. That would be quite helpful."

"…Yes, Your Honor," she nodded obediently. "It started shortly after Raven and I began dating… Probably not even a day after we started, and there were rumors of him being… unfaithful. I'm new to this country, you see, and Raven was the only person I could confide in. And all of a sudden there were rumors of him cheating on me? I thought my relationship problems finally ended, but it seemed like that wasn't the case… I-I was tired of heartbreak…"

Believably as Marin testified—tears were even rolling down her cheeks near the end of her testimony—Link didn't believe a single word of it. It was obvious she was lying to him, to everyone. For one, she clearly didn't look like a person with the capacity to poison someone. Two, she could have easily avoided this whole thing by ending the relationship—_if_ her story was true. There were so many things wrong with it, he couldn't begin to list them. And most of all, it utterly _amazed _him that Rauru was buying into all of it. _Seems like someone is a sucker for a sob story. I'm sorry Marin, but I'm just going to have to expose you._

"…I have a few questions for you, Ms. Tarin," Link spoke after a silence.

"I don't see any room for questions," Ganondorf shook his head, smirking slightly. "Your client already admitted her crime, and she gave the motive to back it up. What else is there to ask?"

Link said nothing. He gave the Gerudo a hard look before turning to Rauru. "Your Honor, if I may? Just five minutes is all I ask."

The judge nodded. "Permission granted. The defense may question the witness."

"Thank you," he smiled before directing his attention to Marin. "Ms. Tarin… You said you have a past of failed relationships, correct?"

She blushed slightly, wiping her eyes free of tears. "Embarrassing as it is, yes. I just never found that right person. I thought I did in Raven… but obviously not."

"You also told me before that Raven was the only person in Hyrule you knew," Link rubbed his chin slowly, his stubble rustling softly as he did so. "Yet you heard rumors from people of his unfaithfulness?"

"Raven was a pretty well-known prosecutor," she shrugged. "I suppose… I suppose that would allow for rumors to go around pretty fast, wouldn't you agree?"

Link said nothing. He filed through the packet of Marin's papers quickly, trying to find something useful for ammunition. _Lies beget more lies_, he told himself. _That's what Shad always told me. And it's never failed me yet._

"How long have you two been dating?" Link asked. "You and Mr. Ambi?"

"Almost a month leading up to his death," she replied.

Link said nothing. He stared at her for the longest time, both their eyes connecting. "Objection! …Ms. Tarin. It isn't like you to lie."

Her brow shot up. "…I-I'm sorry…?"

"A month leading up to Mr. Ambi's death—your crime, as you claim—would assume you've been in Hyrule for that long, yes? Perhaps longer?"

"…Yes… And?"

"It just so happens that I have a copy of your passport," Link announced as he held up the packet for everyone to see. "…You flew in from Koholint Island _two weeks_ before his death! Under normal circumstances, you could have only dated for a week at most!"

Marin flinched. "N-no! No, wait!"

"Objection!" Ganondorf interjected, but was interruped by Link.

"What?" He cocked an eyebrow. "You gonna tell me that Ms. Tarin has the memory of Impa Inpax?"

Rauru furrowed his brow at that. "…Who?"

"Her very explanation for committing murder contained a contradiction!" Link exclaimed. "And you expect for us to just let that slide by!?"

"… Ms. Tarin," Rauru said to her, "Care to explain?"

She said nothing. "…Does the time we've been dating matter, Mr. Avalon?"

Link looked at her for a second. "…What?"

"Whether the two of us had been dating for a month or a week," she shrugged, "That doesn't matter. What's true is that right after we got together, there were already rumors of him cheating…" She smiled confidently, the same smile that haunted him for years. "All else is irrelevant."

"…!" The blonde struggled for something to say. "B… B-but—"

"It's as she said, Avalon," Ganondorf sighed. "One little slip up in the length of their relationship doesn't detract from what really happened, and that's that Raven was cheatin' on this girl."

"…At any rate," Rauru intervened.

…_I-is that it? That's all I can do…? _Link started to panic. _I can't let him end the trial! …Not yet. I have to find out why Marin is lying about killing Raven… And to expose her for who she really is._

"Ms. Tarin," the middle-aged man spoke, "The court requests that you further elaborate on your crime. Specifically the murder itself."

"…Alright," she nodded. She was still slightly shaken by what just happened. She quickly regained her composure before speaking again. "I requested that the poison be made a few days before the registration. I visited the university's pharmaceutical department's students… I paid them to make the poison for me. After my registration, Raven and I headed to the cafeteria for lunch. I slipped the poison into his coffee on our way there."

"…I have a question of my own," Rauru stated after a few seconds. "But I will allow for Mr. Avalon to question you first. I have a feeling he'll ask what I want to know."

Link raised an eyebrow at that, but shrugged it off for a moment. "Very well… Ms. Tarin, you slipped the poison while you two walked to the cafeteria?"

"Yes," she answered.

"But doesn't that seem odd?" He asked. "Presumably, there's quite the time gap between then and his death. More than five minutes, maybe."

"The poison is very slow acting," she replied, "but very deadly… Even just the slightest sprinkle of it can kill. Or so I've been told by the man who made it for me."

"A man made it for you?" Rauru asked. "…An accomplice, then?"

"I suppose," she shrugged. "Unfortunately, I never caught his name. I paid him the money—13,150 rupees—and it was delivered to me anonymously."

"Thirteen grand…" Link whispered, taken aback slightly. "That's quite the sum of money."

"Then again," Ganondorf added. "She paid him to make poison. And by the description of it, Ms. Tarin got quite the deal."

"…And this poison…" Rauru started.

"It's called atroquinine," she told him. "It's one of the deadliest out there."

_There we go!_

"Objection!" Link cried out. "Ms. Tarin! Please tell me what's gotten into you today!"

Her brow knit tightly. "…I-I don't understand…"

"Neither do I," the blonde shook his head. "I don't understand why you've been lying since you stepped into this courtroom!"

"Mr. Avalon!" Rauru turned to him. "What are you talking about?"

"Recall what Detective Bellum told us yesterday before his testimony," Link spoke. "Raven Ambi died from a poison overdosage… Potassium cyanide!"

Marin froze, the breath hitching in her throat and her eyes widening. "A-ah!"

"It's even stated in the autopsy!" Link declared. "Where did this 'atroquinine' business come from!?"

The audience mumbled amongst themselves, suspiciously eyeing Marin as her muscles tensed, her fingernails digging into the wooden lectern's sides.

"One would think that the killer herself would know the name of the poison used for the crime," Link smirked. "Especially if she approached the maker of it herself… But she doesn't even know that!" He slammed his hands against the desk. "Why!?"

Rauru slammed his gavel against the sound block. "Ms. Tarin, Mr. Avalon's assertions aren't without merit. Please explain yourself!"

Marin struggled for something to say to back herself up, but she continuously came up short every time she tried. There was nothing she could say. She was out of excuses… not that she had any to begin with. Her mouth opened to speak, but before the words could come out, Link cut her off.

"…Ms. Tarin."

She turned to him. The intensity in his eyes startled her. The seriousness in his expression scared her. The stern tone in his voice made her feel guilty.

"This case brought back so many memories for me," he said. "Everything about it… It made me feel like I was six years in my past. The crime, the evidence, the testimonies, but most of all… You."

She took a deep breath, trembling slightly as she did so.

"You told me repeatedly that you weren't related to _her_, but now I can't believe that… I can't believe anything you say anymore." He frowned sadly. "Tarin… isn't your last name, huh?"

She was about to speak, but Link already predicted her denial.

"Don't lie to me." He said sharply. "Again."

"Avalon," Ganondorf spoke. "What are you saying here?"

"Zelda Harkinian had a sister," Link told him.

"Zelda… Harkinian?" Rauru furrowed his brow at the mention Zelda's name. He rubbed his chin slowly. "…I remember my brother telling me something about a woman who went by that name…"

"Zelda Harkinian was involved in a crime six years ago… just like this one," the defense attorney told the judge. "Her boyfriend was poisoned to death… She was the one everyone was saying killed him… And I was her defense attorney. Just before her trial ended, she was mysteriously found dead…" He stole a glance at Ganondorf, who didn't say anything.

"I don't know how these two crimes are identical," Link chuckled bitterly, "But I _do_ know how they're related."

"…Well?" Ganondorf shrugged. "How?"

Link picked up Marin's high school profile and held it up so that she could see. When her eyes made contact with it, her eyes widened in shock as she stared right at her own picture.

"You're Zelda Harkinian's sister," Link told her. "Marin Harkinian."

* * *

13,150 rupees is equivalent to 125 dollars. Atroquinine poison is a reference to case four in _Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney_, which plays a very important part in that case.

Awesome people review. :)

_Enjoy Life and Smile_.

* * *


	14. Her Secret Revealed

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Thanks for the reviews, over 17,000 profile views and over 12,000 hits for _Circles_! Please enjoy _Circles_ finale part two!

* * *

September 5, 2008; 10:39 AM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Court of the Heavenly Goddesses—Courtroom 5

"Marin Harkinian?"

"I thought her last name was Tarin!?"

"Who the hell is that girl!?"

The entire courtroom was buzzing with chattering from the audience. Marin just stared at the paper Link held, unable to comprehend in her mind what was happening to her. A cold sweat dripped down the sides of her soft cheek, matting a few tresses of her brown hair to her skin.

"Silence!" Rauru boomed, hitting his gavel three times, and the talking quickly subsided. The room was silent for a moment. "…Witness," he spoke. He hesitated to call her by her name directly because he wasn't exactly sure just _what_ to call her. "…Is this true?"

"Avalon," Ganondorf turned to Link, tearing his eyes off Marin. "…You sure? _This _is Zelda's sister?"

"The facts don't lie, Mr. Dragmire," Link replied. "Zelda's dead, and her sister—her twin—has been recorded missing for years. Then all of a sudden a woman who looks exactly like her shows up… And if it's not enough, here's her school record. Marin Tarin _is _Marin Harkinian."

Ganondorf nodded slowly. "Huh… Well whaddya know…"

"No!" Marin shook her head, and everyone turned to her. As she felt the hundreds of pairs of eyes fall on her, she swallowed hard, brushing the bangs that hung over the left side of her face to the side. "I… I'm not! I'm not her!"

"Marin—" Link started, but she cut him off.

"I told you already, Mr. Avalon!" Marin protested. "I'm not related to her! My name isn't Marin Harkinian!"

Link growled in a low, frustrated voice. _Damn, what's wrong with her!? Why's it so hard to her to admit it!?_

"Ms. Harkinian…" Rauru said, finally deciding to call her by her actual name. "…The evidence against you is rather… definitive to say the least."

Marin frowned at that. "But my name isn't Marin Harkinian… I'm telling the truth…"

"You're a terrible liar, Marin," Link set the paper down. "And it saddens me to say this, but it's starting to become increasingly harder to tell when you're telling us the truth."

"Ms. Harkinian," Ganondorf spoke. Marin flinched rather noticeably and gasped sharply at that. She slowly turned to him, swallowing a bit.

"…Yes?"

"It's alright," he shook his head. "You can stop pretending now. I must admit, though, you did an admirable job trying to prove that you weren't one of the Harkinian sisters."

Link's eyes widened at that. He turned to him with a bewildered stare. His knees locked, and he grabbed onto the desktop to maintain his balance. "Y-you mean… You knew!?"

"That this girl is a Harkinian?" The Gerudo smiled slightly. "…Yeah… I've known for a little while."

"What!?" Rauru stared at him. "Why didn't you say anything!?"

"I didn't think it was relevant to the case," he simply shrugged. "Whether this girl is a Tarin or a Harkinian sister, it doesn't change the fact that she's up for murder… The only person in this room who seems interested in knowing who she really is… is our talented defense attorney."

Link's heart skipped a beat. "…W… What?"

"Yeah, I knew about Marin bein' a Harkinian," Ganondorf said again, in a slow voice used almost condescendingly. "But I wasn't going to say anything about it unless it was brought up. Like I said, it's irrelevant to Raven's death."

Link stood silently. _Ganondorf knew… How long did he know? When did he find out? _How_ did he find out? …Why didn't he tell me about it!? He of all people _knew _how important this was to me! …Then again, this is Ganondorf we're talking about… Of course he'd hide this from me._

"Obviously you want some answers," Ganondorf said to Link. The blonde snapped out of his train of thought and looked up at him. "I'll tell you. I've known since the moment I saw her that this girl was a Harkinian. After all, her lookin' just like Zelda isn't a simple coincidence. I'm sure you and I can both agree on that. And besides, we at the prosecutor's office are sharp ones."

Link said nothing.

"We run full background checks on all of our witnesses and suspects," Ganondorf explained. "We learned that the 'Marin Tarin' suspected of Raven's murder was a transfer student to Hyrule U. from Koholint Island, so naturally I did some research… The 'Marin Tarin' born and raised in Koholint all her life, I found out has only lived there for six years… Obviously the math there doesn't add up. What _does_ make sense, though, was that shortly after Zelda Harkinian was pronounced dead six years ago, her sister reportedly went missing. No one's seen Marin Harkinian in Hyrule since then… until now."

Link digested everything in, hanging onto Ganondorf's every word. The room was spinning. It was a struggle for him to even think straight, much less continue standing without leaning on anything or continue the trial.

_The papers I got never mentioned _any _of that! _Link frowned. _Why wasn't I alerted of this!?_ _She's my _client _for Goddesses sakes!_

"And in a twist of events," Ganondorf glanced at Marin, "She's in the same predicament Zelda was more than half a decade ago!"

"…Ms. Harkinian?" Rauru turned to her, speaking after a short silence. "Do you have anything to say?"

Marin opened her eyes and simply nodded. "…It's true. My name… is Marin Harkinian."

Link stared at her for what seemed like forever. _It all makes sense now. Sometime around Zelda's trial and her death, Marin fled to Koholint… That, I don't understand why she did. But once she got to Koholint, she changed her last name and lived a new life. And here she is back in Hyrule… Like Ganondorf said, in the same mess Zelda was in six years ago. But… something still troubles me… _Why _did she go to Koholint?_

"The defense requests that Ms. Harkinian testify once again," Link announced. "Why she left Hyrule for Koholint Island six years ago!"

"I was just about to request that myself," Rauru nodded. "Even though I don't see in particular how it relates to anything… In any case, Ms. Harkinian, if you please?"

"…Yes, Your Honor," she nodded slowly. "…It all started the day of my sister's trial. I wasn't able to go immediately because I had a job interview I couldn't afford to miss. The second it was over, I drove straight to this very courthouse where the trial was being held. I stopped first, though, to use the restroom… That's when I saw it. My sister on the bathroom floor, with someone over her. Like they were smothering her with something! I just ran then…"

There was a pause after she stopped talking. Rauru silently motioned for Link to begin his questioning, and Link simply returned the gesture.

"I do remember Zelda telling me you weren't there at the trial because of an interview," Link said.

"You want to know what it was for?" She asked. He nodded. "It was to work for the _Morning Cucco_, the morning newspaper. I was accepted into Hyrule U's journalism school, and I wanted that job. That was the only day they were taking interviews, and there was no possible way to reschedule it."

_At least that much is consistent with the evidence,_ Link mused. "You saw Zelda on the floor, you said? …You saw the killer, too!"

"Yes," she choked softly. "…But I didn't get a good look. All I saw was a split second, and they looked at me. That's when I ran away. I was too frightened to look behind me to see if they were chasing me… All I could do was run."

"And what happened after you ran?"

"…" Marin swallowed slowly, scratching the back of her neck and slightly flipping her hair afterwards.

Link looked up at her after he noticed that she hadn't replied. "…Marin?"

"Our family," Marin started. "The Harkinian family… Our little brother was involved in things he shouldn't have been."

The blonde raised an eyebrow at that. "…Brother? Zelda only told me she had a twin sister… She said nothing to me about a brother."

"And for good reason," she replied. "He was sixteen then… He got involved with drugs and alcohol at an early age. Hung out with people of questionable backgrounds…"

_That seems unlikely… _Link furrowed his brow as he thought. _The Harkinian sisters were both excellent students and neither of them could possibly hurt anyone…_

"I suppose it was probably our fault," Marin sighed. "Zelda and me… and our parents too. Because we both did well in school, our parents pressured him to be the same. But to be honest, he never excelled academically, even before then. He was smart, of course… Just lazy, I guess."

"Oh, I see," he nodded, scribbling down what she just said. "And then?"

"He dealt drugs and things like that… Only Zelda and I knew because we found out from his friends, though he didn't know we knew. We heard that he was in serious debt with the people he worked with, and he had to come up with money fast. It wasn't like he could just ask my parents for the money he needed… One day my sister and I went shopping with him, and I asked to use his phone because I had forgotten mine. That's when I found the text message."

His brow went up. "Test message?"

"'Three days to come up with 500,000 rupees'," Marin said, repeating the contents of the text message. "'Or else.'"

_Half a million… _Link breathed softly. _Just what was this kid doing!?_

"Three days passed, and I could tell that he still didn't have the money to give," Marin recalled, "I could see it in the way he acted."

"I get it now," Link nodded. "The person you saw that killed Zelda… That person was whoever demanded the money."

"Or at least one of the people my brother worked with," Marin shrugged. "He saw me, and I bet he could tell that I was related to her… We _do_ look alike, after all."

"You thought he'd come after you next," Ganondorf asked.

"Yes…" She replied.

"And that's when you fled the country?" Link cut in.

"I knew I wasn't safe in Hyrule anymore," she shook her head. "I had no choice but to. I drove to Rinku International Airport and got on the next flight to Mabe Village, the capital of Koholint."

"…How tragic…" Rauru's lips curled into a frown. "You've obviously been through much, Ms. Harkinian."

"The true tragedy isn't me," Marin shook her head. "It's not even my brother, whom I haven't seen since… It's my sister. Zelda Harkinian."

"What do you mean?" Rauru asked.

"Mr. Avalon told me about what happened during that trial six years ago," she responded. "How Ms. Romani kept lying to get her guilty, the notebook Ms. Inpax left behind. The evidence that made him suspect that it was… Mr. Dragmire that killed Mr. Kaminogi."

"W-what!?" Rauru choked. "What did you just say!?"

"Avalon here tried to pin the murder of Kafei Kaminogi, the victim in Zelda Harkinian's case, on me. One of the witnesses recorded what she saw in a notebook, and Mr. Avalon used it to accuse me. Nothing was ever really proven though, because Zelda Harkinian was found dead before anything could have been."

Link stared at Marin, not paying attention to anything Ganondorf was saying. _Marin… _

"Ms. Harkinian," Link started slowly. Ganondorf and Rauru stopped their conversation and turned to the blonde. Marin looked at him. "Yes?"

"I told you what happened during that trial," he nodded. "Yesterday morning, before this trial started."

"Right," she nodded. "I remember."

"…I only told you, though," Link continued slowly. "About the time I saw Zelda dead on the floor… Not once did I mention Ms. Romani, Ms. Inpax, her notebook, or even anything about Mr. Dragmire…"

Marin gasped. Goosebumps covered her bare arms. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Her scalp tingled from surprise, and her heart beat in double-time. "A-ah…!"

"We all know you weren't there for the trial," Link went on, "…So how is it that you know all that?"

"Wait!" Marin stopped him, her voice jumpy and bordering hysterical. "Mr. Dragmire met with me yesterday! Remember? He even said so! He knew that I was related to Zelda and that I wasn't there to watch it, so he told me everything about what happened during that trial!"

"Sorry, Ms. Harkinian," Ganondorf shook his head. "But you and I both know I never mentioned anything of the sort."

Marin flinched, seething through her teeth like someone just rubbed alcohol into a wound on her arm.

"Avalon," Ganondorf turned to Link, and the blonde looked at him in reply. "The trial six years ago never came up during my meeting with this girl. I didn't even know Zelda Harkinian had a sister then… much less that she had a _twin_ sister… So yet another question arises."

"And that would be?" Rauru asked curiously.

"Why does Marin Harkinian know more about the trial concerning her sister Zelda than she should?" The prosecutor stared at her and raised an eyebrow. "…Hmm?"

Marin swallowed hard, her hands trembling as she grasped onto both sides of the lectern for dear life, as if she was going to fall into a pit if she let go. Once again, all eyes were on her. She felt the walls closing in on her. Her ears were ringing from the unbearable silence.

"…Marin?" Link spoke softly, but loud enough so she could hear. "…Tell me. How do you know everything?"

"What if I told you, Avalon…" Ganondorf smiled. "That this girl's name _isn't _Marin?"

Her gaze locked onto the Gerudo, as if she were pleading with her gaze not to talk.

"Witness!" Rauru slammed his gavel against the sound block, the sound bouncing off the walls. "What is your name!? Tell us the truth this time! …Are you really Marin Harkinian, Zelda Harkinian's twin sister…? Or are you really Marin Tarin like you first claimed?"

"There is no Marin Tarin," Ganondorf shook his head. "We all established that through the facts. And the woman before us claiming to be Marin Harkinian knows more about the trial six years ago than the real Marin Harkinian should… The only people in the world who should know what this woman here just testified to concerning that trial are the audience members, the judge, Auru Sayje, Link Avalon here, myself… And Zelda Harkinian."

Marin shook her head, her voice hopelessly frantic. "No! No! I… I'm Marin! I'm Marin Harkinian! I… I thought that was established! Mr. Avalon has my transcript, and you, Mr. Dragmire, have all my documents!"

"All that means nothing when the Harkinian sisters look exactly alike," Ganondorf shook his head. "…One of you could easily pose as the other and no one would be able to tell the difference."

"…Marin…" Link whispered, his eyes locked on her. His knees felt weak, and his vision was hazy. "…Who are you?"

"I told you, Mr. Avalon!" She cried out, now almost on the brink of tears. "I'm Marin Harkinian!"

Ganondorf sighed. "It's like Mr. Avalon here said… You are a poor liar, Ms. Harkinian."

Marin flinched at that.

"You and I both know that you're not fooling anyone into believing anything anymore," the Gerudo said. "So don't you think it's about time you told Mr. Avalon here who you really are? …After all, he's been worried about you… for six years."

Link's heart stopped. He froze. His breath hitched in his throat. His Adam's apple felt painfully tight as he swallowed. "…You don't mean…"

"Allow me to introduce the court to the defendant in that trial six years ago," Ganondorf announced. Marin stared back at Link, tilted her head to the side slightly… and weakly gave him that chilling, innocent smile.

"Ms. Zelda Harkinian."

* * *

500,000 rupees is equivalent to 4,855 dollars.

So now you see why this story's titled _Circles_, huh? This was admittedly one of the most fun chapters to write, though I got kind of stuck on deciding what to make Marin testify about in this chapter. But I think it all came together pretty well.

I wanted to get this chapter out before I had to take my AP test! EEE! I take my AP European history test in about four hours (it's 9:35a PDT and I have to be at the church were it's held before twelve). Wish me luck, hm?

Next chapter, chapter fifteen, is the story's final chapter (hey, _Sensei_, my first Zelda story had fifteen chapters!). When can you expect it? **Expect chapter fifteen to be up Sunday May 11, 2008 at 12:00a PDT. **I'll try to make that chapter worth your while. :)

Review please, and _Enjoy Life and Smile._

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	15. Case Closed

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So this didn't exactly make my midnight deadline... I had confirmation retreat for most of the day, and I had from 6:00p until midnight to finish this (it's now 2:12a). But I prolonged it to make this chapter the best it can be.

Thank you for over 200 reviews! There are quite a few flashback scenes in this chapter. Anyway, without any further ado, here is the final chapter to my last story, _Circles_.

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September 5, 2008; 11:12 AM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Court of the Heavenly Goddesses—Courtroom 5

Link was, to put it simply, speechless. He felt faint, like he could pass out at any moment. Everything started spinning, his head slightly hurting from the dizziness overwhelming him. And the silence that overtook the room was absolutely horrifying.

…_M… Marin? …I-is Zelda!? She's been pretending this whole time!? All these years!? …Th-that can't be true! Zelda's dead—she's buried in the Market Cemetery! …B-but that's the only explanation… So the girl I found lying on the floor that day… That was Marin?_

"…Impossible!" Rauru shook his head incredulously. "I thought she died years ago!"

"That's what we all thought," Ganondorf shrugged. "…But we all know how much _that's_ true… She's standing right in front of us."

"Why!?" Link cried out, the volume of his voice growing in volume uncontrollably. "Why did she hide from us!? …Why did _you_ hide from us!? Why? …W-why…?"

Zelda watched him, almost finding it unbearable to look him in the eye anymore. She swallowed again, licking her dry lips. "…Mr. Avalon…"

"Why she posed as her sister has no bearing on this case," Ganondorf said. "It seems we've forgotten why we're all here—to find the one who poisoned Mr. Ambi, and see if Zelda Harkinian actually committed the crime."

"Don't give me that!" Link slammed his fist into the table. "You know something, Ganondorf! Tell me! How long did you know about Zelda!? How long did you know she's been hiding!?"

"Mr. Avalon—" Rauru started, trying to calm him down.

"TELL ME!"

The courtroom was still. No one moved or said anything. Not even a single draw of breath was heard.

"…Six years." Was all Ganondorf said in reply. "I've known… for six years."

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"…_Mr. Dragmire."_

"_What is it?" Thirty-five year old Ganondorf Dragmire looked at Agahnim Sahasrahla, one of the city's top morticians. The middle-aged man called the prosecutor over to his desk as he stared at his computer screen._

"_I just found out something which I think should interest you," Agahnim spoke in his thick, foreign accent, glancing at Ganondorf. The Gerudo stood at his side, an eyebrow raised._

"_That woman right there…" He pointed to the corpse that was slightly visible in the next room._

"_Yeah?" The prosecutor shrugged. "What about her?"_

"…_That isn't Zelda Harkinian."_

_The cigarette between Ganondorf's teeth almost fell out of his mouth as his jaw dropped slightly in surprise. "What? …Whaddya mean, not Zelda Harkinian!? Are you sure?"_

"_I've been in this business for twenty-five years," Agahnim looked over his shoulder with a knowing smirk. "I've never been wrong. That woman isn't Zelda Harkinian."_

"…_Well then," he took a draw out of his cigarette. "Who is she then?"_

"_She's a Harkinian, alright," Agahnim nodded. "Her name's Marin."_

"…_Marin?" Ganondorf furrowed his brow._

"_Yes. She's apparently Zelda's twin sister… The autopsy doesn't lie," Agahnim replied._

_His brow shot up. _Zelda had a twin? _He thought. _Huh… Never knew that…

"_So this means the real Zelda is out there somewhere still," Ganondorf spoke slowly. "…She's still alive."_

"_Most likely," the mortician nodded. "…Do you want me to contact the authorities?"_

_Ganondorf wasn't quick to reply. He just stared at the picture of Marin Harkinian on the computer screen, his lips curling into a frown._

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"Why!?" Link exclaimed. "Why did you say anything!?"

"…No one asked," Ganondorf shrugged.

_Are you _kidding _me!?_

"That itself is somewhat of an offense, I feel…" Rauru rubbed his chin. "I will speak with you personally about that later, Mr. Dragmire."

"…Very well."

"…Wait…" Link interjected. "…Z-Zelda…"

The brunette turned to him. She still felt it difficult to look him in the eye; her gaze kept directing into any direction that _didn't _lead to them.

"Y… You've been alive this whole time…" He swallowed. "…That means we can finish that case!"

"Mr. Avalon?" Rauru raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you talking about?"

"That case six years ago ended unsolved because we all presumed Zelda was dead!" Link stared straight at Ganondorf. "Now that we know that's clearly false, there's nothing stopping us from finishing it!"

_This is it! By revealing Zelda, Ganondorf dug his own grave this time… Finally she can pass the judgment against him that she was never able to! _

"Why that look, Avalon?" The Gerudo smirked. "Planning to put me on blast for killing Kafei?"

Link didn't reply; his glare did all the talking for him.

"Talented as you are as a defense attorney," he shrugged, "It seems like you've forgotten one of the principles this country's court system is based on—no double jeopardy."

"…W-what?"

"Surely you know _that_, don't you?" Ganondorf asked, a bemused smile creeping onto his lips. "I was already proven innocent. I'm by law protected from anyone accusing me of killing Kafei Kaminogi a second time."

Link's brow knit. "Y-you… You can't be serious! We both know you weren't proven innocent of _anything_ back then! There just wasn't the evidence to prove it! …But now that we have it…" Link stole a glance at Zelda.

"Objection!" Ganondorf turned to Rauru. "Nostalgic as continuing a six-year old murder case sounds… We aren't here for that purpose, Your Honor. We're here to find the murderer of Raven Ambi. That is all."

"Prosecutor Dragmire _does_ make a valid point, Mr. Avalon," Rauru nodded. "We're sidetracked enough, it seems. Once this trial is finished, I will schedule for the continuation of the murder of this Kafei Kaminogi… In any case, it's time we got back to business. We will have to start from scratch because the confession Ms. Ta… _Harkinian_ first mentioned is what led us here."

_Dammit! _Link kicked in his head. _I was _so_ damn close! …Alright… Take a deep breath, Link. You can finish both trials here and now… Just play it cool… and safe. The two murders are obviously related now. Both victims were somehow related to Ganondorf, and both dated Zelda—the suspect in both cases. I just need to prove it… But that's easier said than done._

"Ms. Harkinian," Rauru looked at her, "Would you please enlighten us on what happened that day? The day of Raven Ambi's murder, I mean… And we want the truth this time. Be specific as possible."

"Y-yes, Your Honor," she replied. "…Like I said originally… I really killed Raven Ambi. That still stands… After I finished my registration, Raven and I went to the cafeteria to pick up lunch. He had his coffee with him, like I said before. When we walked in during the lunch rush, and we quickly sat at a table in the middle of the cafeteria just as soon as the group of guys sitting there had cleared out. Raven had paperwork from the office to finish, so I fell in line to order for both of us. I left my purse at the table with him, got in line, and bought the food… And when I came back…"

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"_Here's our lunch!"_

_He looked up from his iced coffee he was drinking and smiled as she took a seat at the table, sitting right across from him. She set the tray holding two bowls of rice and chicken on the table, putting his bowl and a pair of chopsticks in front of him._

"_Thanks," he nodded, breaking apart the wooden chopsticks and testing them out a few times before reaching into the mound of steamed rice._

"_I got a few packets of sugar for your coffee," she said, taking one of her three sugar packs and tearing the top off. She motioned for his cup._

"…_Thank you," he said, smiling kindly and taking a few sips of his drink. He picked up a strip of chicken breast with his chopsticks and tore it in half with his teeth._

"…_U-ugh!"_

_She looked up from her food, chopsticks in her mouth, to him with a raised eyebrow. "Hm?"_

_He suddenly started coughing, bits of the food sputtering out of his mouth as he did so. Small, little coughs at first, but they quickly intensified to the point of desperate, hacking gasps for air. His breath hitched in his throat, and his hand clamped around his neck as purple spots blotched in his vision._

_She slammed down her chopsticks and her bowl. She was panicking._

W-what's going on!?_ She wondered, fear filling her eyes as she watched her boyfriend quickly suffocate as his skin started turning blue. "What's wrong!?"_

_But he didn't respond. His eyes slowly rolled into the back of his head. He faced the glass ceiling of the cafeteria, before his head fell forward. His face slammed and buried into his rice bowl with a clank._

_She just stared at him in shock, unable to register what just happened. But then it clicked: he was dead. But from what? She couldn't think straight. She just let out a blood-curdling scream._

"_AHHHHH!!"_

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"…I see…" Rauru opened his eyes slowly. "Is that all that happened after you sat down? …You're not lying?"

"…Yes, Your Honor," she paused before answering. "That's what happened… and no, I'm not lying."

_Why so hesitant there, Zelda? _Link looked at her with uncertainty. _Perhaps you're not lying… But you're probably not telling us the whole truth._

"…And you didn't slip the poison in during your walk to the cafeteria?"

"No," she answered with more affirmation this time.

_So that part in her original testimony was a lie_, Link told himself. _But why would she still claim to be the murderer? …Unless… She's covering for the killer!_

"Zelda!" Link suddenly exclaimed. She was taken off guard by his sudden outburst, flinching slightly.

"Ah! Y-y-yes?" She asked, her voice slightly jumpy.

"You know who the real killer in this case is… don't you?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Ah! W-what!?"

"What are you talking about, Avalon!?" Ganondorf cocked an eyebrow. "Of course she wouldn't know!"

"Are you sure?" Link smirked. "She first confessed as Marin Tarin that she committed the murder. Despite the fact that her claim that she slipped the poison into the mug on her way to the cafeteria isn't true, the fact that she hasn't dismissed her confession to the crime still stands! She's still insisting on taking the blame for whoever really murdered Mr. Ambi!"

"Objection!" Ganondorf called out. "Listen to yourself! You're saying she's the killer, yet she just dismissed the only realistic opportunity to spike the coffee with poison!"

"Objection! …That's _exactly_ what I'm saying!" Link shot back in a matter-of-fact voice. _Gee, it seems like we're not all awake this morning._ "She just eliminated her only chance to lace the poison as an impossibility, but she's still taking responsibility for the crime! Not only does this dismiss her as a potential suspect, but it also confirms the fact that for some reason, she's covering for whoever really killed him! And the only logical reason for her doing that… She _knows_ who that person is!"

Zelda's eyes widened even more. She was feeling faint all over again. "N... NOOOOOOOOOO!"

Just before the audience could react to anything, Rauru slammed his gavel down. He was growing irritated, his voice commanding and almost frightening. "Order! Anyone talking out of turn will immediately be escorted out of the courtroom! …Ms. Harkinian! Enough of your half-truths and lies! I demand that from now on you keep your oath and tell this court every single detail from what happened the day of the murder! _Now!_"

Zelda said nothing. She took a deep breath, and slowly closed her eyes.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"_Here's our lunch!"_

_He looked up from his iced coffee he was drinking and smiled as she took a seat at the table, sitting right across from him. She set the tray holding two bowls of rice and chicken on the table, putting his bowl and a pair of chopsticks in front of him._

"_Thanks," he nodded, breaking apart the wooden chopsticks and testing them out a few times before reaching into the mound of steamed rice._

"_I got a few packets of sugar for your coffee," she said, taking one of her three sugar packs and tearing the top off. She motioned for his cup._

"_That's okay, Marin," he took her hand in his and stopped her. Their eyes connected for a moment after that. As he flashed his charming smile, she blushed slightly, quickly withdrawing her hand from his grasp._

"…_Thank you," he said, smiling kindly and taking a few sips of his drink. He picked up a strip of chicken breast with his chopsticks and tore it in half with his teeth._

"_My friend stopped by while you were gone," Raven explained, his mouth half-filled with food. "He gave me some sugar he had left over from a restaurant he went to when he had breakfast."_

"_Oh," Marin nodded slowly. "That was nice of him. Who was it?"_

"_Oh yeah…" He looked up from his bowl, swallowing what was in his mouth. "I never introduced you to him… I'll have to one of these days. He's who got me into law, after all… In fact, he introduced me to you."_

_Marin furrowed her brow at that, taking a sip of her water. "…Really? …But I just moved here… I don't think there's anyone in the country who knows about me."_

"…_That _is _weird," he shrugged, clumping rice and chicken between his chopsticks. "But regardless, he's the one who told me about you. His name was—_ …_U-ugh!"_

**- - - - - - - - - -**

Link couldn't help but grin triumphantly. "…Your Honor, this case… and that of six years ago… Both are finally coming to a close."

Ganondorf frowned, switching his glare between Link and Zelda.

"…Mr. Avalon?" Rauru looked at him questioningly.

"It was just as I suspected," Link nodded. "Just like then, Zelda's final testimony was the key to finding this case—and that case's—true killer… Our prosecutor: Ganondorf Dragmire!"

"T-tch!" The Gerudo scoffed. "Y-yeah!? How!?"

"You know just as well as I do!" Link smirked. "Maybe even better... But since you're probably just going to deny it, I'll explain… It all began with Kafei Kaminogi… The man who threatened your famous perfect-win record in court."

"Ah," Rauru nodded. "I remember reading about that trial."

"Then fortunately for me I don't have to go into those details," the blonde sighed. "But! Mr. Dragmire here just wasn't about to let him get away so easily, despite Mr. Kaminogi ultimately failed… You, Mr. Dragmire, devised your plot. Your demonic little plot to kill him, and frame his girlfriend for the murder—Zelda Harkinian!"

"W… W-what!?" Rauru's eyed widened.

"You poisoned his coffee, wiped your prints off the container, and hid it in her purse as she was out getting lunch for the two of them. Then you hid the container of poison in her purse to cast suspicion on her and slipped away just in time before she came back!"

"S-stop talking!" Ganondorf yelled. "Your Honor! H-he's crazy!"

"That was the first time we faced off in court!" Link went on despite the prosecutor's protests. "I was close two convicting you of your crime… But then that's when it happened… the event that led up to this case."

"Zelda Harkinian was presumed dead," Rauru finished his sentence. "Found on the bathroom floor."

"I figured this all out as well," Link stated. "It's the only logical explanation. During the final recess, Zelda excused herself to use the restroom… And that's when Zelda's twin sister, Marin, got involved in all of this. Around that time, she showed up at the courthouse, but she apparently stopped by the restroom before heading for the courtroom… And you, Ganondorf, went looking for Zelda."

"No…" The older man growled threateningly, but Link wasn't the least bit intimidated.

_I've come too far now, Ganondorf. It's all over._

"If her final testimony was heard—the one that would ultimately convict you, it'd be all over… You went looking for Zelda, who you know was out using the restroom one way or another… You walked into the women's restroom… And you saw _her_. Not Zelda, but her sister… _Marin_."

Link looked over at Zelda. "Zelda."

She looked over to the blonde. She knew by the look in his eyes what he wanted her to say. She slowly nodded in reply. "…I walked into the restroom… And I saw him… Mr. Dragmire… was smothering my sister. It was obvious that he wanted me dead; it was the only explanation for him doing such a thing to someone who looked exactly like me… I guess he just didn't know that the girl he killed wasn't me."

"He didn't know," Link shook his head. "He confirmed that himself when he told us he found out it was Marin that was killed after the trial… Sometime after that, you fled the country to Koholint, yes?"

"…Yes," Zelda nodded. She shivered in fear at the deathly glare Ganondorf was giving her. His red eyes pierced right into her soul, and she could swear she felt frozen inside just by feeling his eyes on her.

"Zelda knew she wasn't safe in Hyrule," Link shook his head. "Leaving the country was what she thought was her only option. Meanwhile here…"

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"…_Do you want me to contact the authorities?"_

_Ganondorf wasn't quick to reply. He just stared at the picture of Marin Harkinian on the computer screen, his lips curling into a frown._

"…_No," he shook his head. "…Let them think this is Zelda."_

"_W-what?" Agahnim stared at him incredulously._

"_I have a plan," was all Ganondorf said. "Having them all think that Zelda's dead could be… useful…"_

_Ganondorf pulled out his checkbook and pen, and quickly scribbled something on the paper. He ripped it out and handed it to Agahnim._

"…_What's this?" Agahnim asked. He looked at the check and his eyes went wide, a hoarse gasp escaping his lips._

"_One million rupees and you stay quiet about this," Ganondorf told him in an almost threatening voice. "You tell _no one _that this woman here is actually Marin Harkinian. No one is to find out that the wrong Harkinian sister is dead."_

_The Gerudo grabbed him by the neck and squeezed hard, a gurgling sound emanating from the mortician's throat._

"…_Or else."_

"_I…" Agahnim managed weakly. "I… I promise… I won't talk."_

_The prosecutor smiled at that. He forcefully let him go, pushing him into his rolling chair, which moved back into a wall with a thud. Without another word, Ganondorf started for the exit._

"_W… W-where are you going?" Agahnim asked._

"…_I need to… find someone…"_

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"For six years, you searched for the real Zelda Harkinian, while the person whom we all thought was the Zelda buried in Market Cemetery was actually her sister Marin… Then you found her… Under the name Marin Tarin, living a new life in Koholint Island," Link said, watching the prosecutor slowly grow more hysterical. "It wasn't just a coincidence that Marin Tarin was transferred to Hyrule University—you manipulated the system to get her into the country, because you knew that Marin Tarin was actually Zelda… I'm willing to bet that the selection of me as her history teacher was your doing as well."

"Hah!" Ganondorf laughed. "Y-you actually think that I have enough power to do something like that!? T-that I can just transfer people in and out of colleges like that!?"

"Why yes," Link nodded. "I do… After all, you probably used the same technique to blackmail one Malon Romani… Am I correct?"

The Gerudo's eyes widened at that.

"The transferring of Marin Tarin from Tal Tal University to Hyrule U. was just part of your plot to lure Zelda back into the country," Link said.

"And then you were going to kill her… Through the same method you used six years ago on Kafei Kaminogi, and you used your best friend, Raven Ambi to do it… You introduced him to her, hoping the two would get together. Much to your advantage, it worked better than you could have imagined, I bet… You sacrificed his life—you poisoned him—and once again framed Zelda for the murder. You made the situation seem hopeless even further by immediately taking up the case as the head prosecutor, effectively scaring away any potential defense attorneys she had lined up, as many attorneys fear you, as you well know… But that failed too… when I became part of it. When I signed to represent her!"

The entire courtroom was silent. Not even breathing could be heard. Everyone had their eyes on Ganondorf, whose head hung loosely, his face to the ground. His hands were on the tabletop, supporting him.

"…Heh… Heh…"

The quiet chuckle, amplified by the silence, was deafening. It was Ganondorf… He was laughing. He threw his head back, laughing hysterically.

"Avalon…" He cackled uncontrollably. "Avalon…! You pathetic excuse for a defense attorney! You… You may have won this time… But I'll be back for you… And you, Ms. Zelda Harkinian… You two, I swear, will find your deaths at my hands. I swear it! Damn you, Zelda Harkinian… Damn you, Marin Harkinian… Damn you, Raven Ambi and Kafei Kaminogi… Damn you all to the limitless void of the Sacred Realm! …D-damn you… LINK AVALOOOOOON!!"

Rauru demanded for an explanation from the fallen prosecutor, slamming his gavel down with all his might. But even then, the sounds were drained by the Gerudo's uncontrollable laughter. It was the most sinister, bone chilling cackle anyone in the courtroom them had ever heard.

Even as he was apprehended by the bailiffs and police officers, he still laughed. The laughter resonated through the courtroom, through the prosecutor's lounge, down the halls of the courthouse, and even through the streets of Castle Town as he was taken to the district police center in the police car, whose blaring sirens did nothing to cover up the resonating laughter…

**- - - - - - - - - -**

September 5, 2008; 11:25 AM  
Hyrule Castle Town, Light Prefecture  
Court of the Heavenly Goddesses—Courtroom 5

"…The trials of the murders of both Kafei Kaminogi six years ago and Raven Ambi of the present are finally over, aren't they?" Rauru asked slowly. He was still slightly shaken; the remnants of Ganondorf's voice could still be heard.

"Finally, Your Honor," Link nodded with a sigh of relief. "Two cases that were both caused by Prosecutor Ganondorf Dragmire… Two cases that tragically left three people dead at his hands."

"Quite right, Mr. Avalon," the judge nodded. "Witness… Ms. Harkinian."

"Yes, Your Honor?" Zelda looked up at him.

"You're acquitted of both murder charges against you," he told her. "However, your behavior in court today is questionable. Though I can understand that Mr. Dragmire most likely had something to do with it, perjury is still a serious offense in itself. You continuously lied to this court under oath… I'll expect for you to be tried for it… Or at the very least, be fined."

"I understand, Your Honor," she nodded.

"Very good." Rauru picked up his gavel. "Before your verdict, do you have anything to say?"

"Yes, I do," Zelda replied, and she turned to Link. "…Mr. Avalon…"

"Y-yes?" He stammered slightly.

"I have something to tell you… It's about my meeting with Mr. Dragmire yesterday," she said.

His eyebrows went up at that.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"_Mr. Dragmire," Marin spoke with a hint of surprise in her voice. "To be honest, I was expecting Mr. Avalon…"_

"_No," Ganondorf shook his head, taking a seat on the other side of the glass. "It's me… I have something to talk to you about."_

"_I see," she nodded. "What is it?"_

"…_The trial…" He started. "It ends tomorrow."_

_Marin raised an eyebrow at that, her back straightening slightly. "…I'm sorry?"_

"_The trial ends tomorrow," he repeated. "…And you _will_ be found guilty."_

_The brunette furrowed her brow at that, trying to study what the man was getting at in his eyes. "…I-I'm sorry, I don't understa—"_

"_Then maybe I should explain, shouldn't I?" His dark lips curled into a sneer. "…Ms. Zelda Harkinian?"_

_She gasped sharply, almost jumping out of her seat. "I-I… I don't know what—"_

"_You're talking about?" He finished her sentence with a knowing smirk. "…You may have fooled Avalon, but there's no going around me… Not when I have these."_

_He took out a packet of papers. It was all research papers from the searches Ganondorf conducted, trying to find where in the world Zelda was. And sure enough, it all pointed to her._

"…_Does he know?" Zelda asked in a low voice, referring to Link._

"_He will tomorrow," he responded, taking back the papers from under the glass, almost giving her numerous paper cuts. "...When I reveal you."_

"_No!" She exclaimed. She glanced over her shoulder, and saw that the security guard was giving her a strange look. She blushed slightly as she turned back and leaned into the glass, speaking to Ganondorf in a hushed voice. "Y-you… You can't tell him!"_

"_I was counting on you to say that," he replied knowingly. "That's why the trial will end tomorrow with your guilty verdict. If you want to keep who you really are a secret, you will confess to the crime of Raven's murder."_

_She was afraid to say the least. She knew what she was up against if she was found guilty—her predetermined sentence was a lynching. Anyone found guilty in the case faced that sentence. But she'd much rather dying than Link find out who she really was._

"…_F-fine… I-I'll do it…" She choked weakly. "I'll cooperate."_

"_Excellent," he grinned. "Do whatever it takes to convince the court that you're guilty. Especially Avalon. Him being your attorney doesn't help you a single bit. He'll try to refute all your claims—you should know that by experience. But if you want to keep Ms. Zelda hidden under Ms. Marin, you won't give him that chance."_

_Without another word, he picked up the stack of papers and stood up from his seat. "I'll see you tomorrow… Ms. Harkinian…"_

_He left in silence, leaving Zelda behind as tears slowly overwhelmed her._

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"So he _was_ blackmailing you…" Link's gaze hardened. "…But why didn't you want me to know that you were really Zelda?"

"When I said I've been lying to you this whole time," Zelda smiled weakly. "I really meant it… This whole time I've been denying that I was Zelda Harkinian… I've caused you so much grief the past few days… And I shudder to think what you went through the past six years. When you saw my sister on the ground and thought it was me… It must have been devastating. And you told me how you thought my 'death' was your entire fault… I thought it was better that I be found guilty and just actually die than you find out that I've been lying the past three days… I'm sorry, Mr. Avalon…"

…_Zelda… It should be me who's worried about you… You've been through so much the past few days… No… the past six years…_

"Zelda…" Link spoke. She looked up, feeling startled some. "As I spent more time with the woman who I thought was Marin Tarin… I really did see you in her. Not because I thought Marin Tarin looked like you… But because I could feel your presence in her."

"…M-Mr. Avalon?" She choked, tears brimming her eyes.

"…Zelda…" Link whispered. "…I'm so glad you're back."

Zelda couldn't help but release the tears she had been holding back, letting them stream freely down her cheeks. "T… Thank you… Mr. Avalon…"

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"On the charges of the murders of Kafei Kaminogi and Raven Ambi, I hereby find the defendant, Ms. Zelda Harkinian…

**-NOT GUILTY-**

…That is all," Rauru nodded. He picked up his gavel. "Court is adjourned!"

With one last swing, the sound echoed through the silent courtroom.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

…_So maybe I'm not as bad of a defense attorney as I first thought I was… Will I keep up with this thing? Keep my badge on full time? …I don't know. I feel like I'm a high school senior again, torn between my two loves… Law and history. Who knows, maybe I'll do both?_

_For now, I think I'll focus more on teaching. The school year just started, and I already took off two days of work to solve this case. Although I'm definitely glad I did. I tied up loose ends, I confronted my past… and I finally got to see the girl who worried me so much these past six years._

_If I continue to practice law again, I'll need an office… Maybe Shad can help me out? I don't know. But what I do know is what when there's someone in need, I'll be there to help them out. And when that contradiction arises in court, I'll be ready. Just remember what you learned in those court proceeding videos, Link. Stay low; wait for the right time, and when it comes time to attack…_

"**OBJECTION!"**

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"Hey Link! Where were you these past few days!? Ilia and I heard you became a lawyer behind our backs! Again!? Oh yeah, and I got this crazy stuck-up Zora transfer student in my class today. Name's Rhubarb or somethin'..."

"I'm so proud of you, Link. You really surprised me these past few days. It's true what Mr. Lon said all those years ago. You certainly don't have the presence of a full-fledged lawyer… But you've got more potential and talent than I could ever hope to have. So about you and Ms. Harkinian… When's that wedding? Hahaha!"

"Hey, Avalon! That sure was somethin' back there! Got me all covered in goose bumps and everything! Only Raven and Ganondorf could do that to me! Ganondorf… Still can't believe he went crazy like that, ya know? Why, he lost more marbles than that Zora chick!"

"Mr. Avalon, a pleasure seeing you again! I heard about that recent trial you suddenly took up… How exciting! To think that Ms. Harkinian was hiding like that! Well let me tell you, you're free to stop by the cafeteria anytime you like—on me! Mondays we have fried cucco chicken and Chu Jell-O for dessert… Or is that Tuesday? …Din, I hope I'm not developing Alzheimer's. Oops, knock on wood… Oh! Who's knocking!? Is that the door!?"

"Thank you so much for everything, Mr. Avalon. I finally don't have to stop making those payments to Mr. Dragmire… Finally my husband can quit asking me where the percentage of my salary is going to… What to do with the money now, though? I suppose if we save up enough we can afford to splurge more… Oh! Mr. Avalon, to show you my gratitude, please accept this money as a gift! No, really! I really can't thank you enough!"

"Hello, Professor Avalon. Oh yes, I apologized to Ms. Tar… Harkinian. I still can't believe she was Zelda Harkinian the whole time… We get along quite well now. It's fun to have someone to compete with academically. Professor Adlez is a fine professor so far, also. Though I bet he doesn't compare to your expertise… Oh, and I just wish he'd quit calling me 'Rhubarb'! Honestly!"

"Link, my boy! Who was that cute young lady I saw you walking with the other day!? Finally got yourself a girl to settle down with!? Well good for you! It's about time, really! How old are you, thirty-two, thirty-three? Go out there and start your family already! I'll be looking forward to them attending here! Hurry up, before I get too old to work and have to collect!"

"Mr. Avalon, I'm truly indebted to you. I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me, both back then and now. I'm looking forward to a wonderful year under your excellent instruction, as I've been told by many of the women at the university registrar… They kept going on about your good looks... And I really have to say that you've become very handsome in these past six years… And you even kept your stubble…"

* * *

So ends _Circles_, with the traditional _Phoenix Wright _ending. :) Hurry up and buy the games already! You know you want to. :D If you haven't figured it out, the quotes belong to Sheik, Shad, Linebeck, Impa, Malon, Ruto, Darunia, and of course, Zelda.

Goodbye isn't always an easy thing to say. So let's not say "Goodbye". How about "I'll see you later"? The word "Goodbye" I don't use anymore; it sounds so final, like you're not going to see the person anymore. I'll still see you all--on places other than here. It was truly a pleasure writing for you all these past three years (especially the past year and a half). Since _Sensei_ I've accomplished more than I thought I've ever be able to, more than most people are ever able to. And I truly am thankful for all those hundreds of reviews and thousands of hits to both my stories and my profile page. Not a single hit or review goes unappreciated, and I certainly hope you all know that.

I'll still be lurking around this website of course, searching for that lovely story that makes me keep coming back for more. You all keep telling me how I'm really the only author left anymore who writes stuff worth reading. I personally don't think that's true, and I take it as insulting the other people who put up stories. There are plenty other authors much more talented than me to survive on... Sakurelle's _Zelda: A Fairytale_, purplefirestarter's _It's Yours to Keep_, heteroceric-heart's oneshot's, Kurai Hitokiri's _The Courtship of Princess Zelda_, so on and so on. And I think they're all tired of seeing me monopolize the Link/Zelda section, and their stories are seemingly much more popular than this has been, which is telling me that I've peaked and it's time to pass the torch on... Note that all the authors I named are females. Me being a guy, I love a good cat fight. :)

Spending the last few months of 2006, all of 2007, and the first half of 2008 was truly a pleasure. I've enjoyed you all profusely, and I hope you can all say the same about me and my stories.

So this is "I'll see you later". Yes, this is most likely going to be my last multichapter in a long while (though you might see a oneshot spring up every now and then). I'll be gone for a while, yes, but I wouldn't take me off your alert list if I were you. You never know... ;)

If you wish to contact me, all the ways to reach me are in my profile. AIM, my blog, deviantART, email, and MySpace are your best bets. Along with PMs here, of course. Also, I'm a member on HyruleNet, "The Original Zelda Online!" I'm a news submitter there, so all the news you see on the front page is by me. :D I'm on the chat server there all the time, so please register on Hyrule, and tell your Zelda loving friends! It's all in the contacts section of my profile. And duh, I'm always up for a good _Brawl_! :D

With all that said, I love you all, take care, and _Enjoy Life and Smile_.

* * *


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